Tuck Goes to Tiffany

new home

2010-05-18T09:13:00.002-05:00

Tuck Goes to Tiffany has been absorbed into my new superblog, Shouted Whispers. See you there!

books | "more tales of the city"

2010-04-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

by armistead maupin. (paperback, 1980)

These are my stories, y'all. I am engrossed in the soap opera of Mary Ann, Michael, and the gang at 28 Barbary Lane. I have even started watching the miniseries in eight-minute chunks on YouTube.

Book two was a breezy romp...that Mary Ann sure knows how to scare up trouble, for an innocent Midwestern girl. Then there is Michael and Jon's tortured on-again, off-again...I guess this is a soap requisite. The real heart of this second collection is the Mona/Mucca/Madrigal thread, which I wouldn't dare bring myself to spoil.

Why was there not a 20th century pop lit seminar in college? This is reading I would've loved being required to do. I remain fascinated by the serial format. I realize it's a long shot, but do any serials still exist? Perhaps they've all been replaced by personal observation columns.

books | "tales of the city"

2010-04-20T11:35:00.001-05:00

by armistead maupin. (paperback, 1978)

Whatever happened to newspaper serials? They are like soap operas in book form. It's taken me forever to get to this series, but I had a good time with it, and Maupin makes the stories accessibly timeless. I wonder how close the novelization hews to the original newspaper version, though it seems reasonably tame other than the drug references. And if you overlook some of the brand names, it feels reasonably timeless to me, though I've never been to San Fran. I have the next few books in a box somewhere, so I guess it's about time to dig them out.

weekend in review

2010-04-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

It's always a good time when my sister comes to town, but this weekend in particular was a whirlwind.

Paddle boats in Forest Park
It's $15 for one hour, and though your legs will get tired, your butt is going to get the worst of things. Paddling faster, by the way, does not affect the speed of the boat. You can putter around Forest Park and troll under bridges to scare joggers, though, and ask them to take your picture.

Maya Cafe
A tiny Mexican cafe in Maplewood. Great house-made salsa, and killer sweet-then-sour margaritas.

Ben Folds at Chaifetz
Fantastic, as always. It was my sister's first Folds concert, and despite some plainly disinterested "this is my free spring concert" students, it was a fun show. We were in the third row, so that went a long way. Chaifetz is too big for that sort of thing, though, and it took some tinkering to get the sound right. Also, he broke something off the piano.

Blues City Deli
Oh, man. Try the Black & Blue. I can't believe I hated blue cheese as a kid. This place was both fast and fantastic.

Citygarden
I have yet to get tired of this place, which is apparently catching on as a picture-taking destination.

Crown Candy
They make a mean malt, and there was quite a Saturday afternoon line, though the to-go queue wasn't too bad. Those tiny booths look off-putting anyway, but I'm told I have to get back sometime for the grilled cheese.

"Kick-Ass" at the Moolah
That little girl is going places, and while I'm completely disinterested in the sequel, it was just tongue-in-cheek enough to work. It was also gross at points, but I'm not up on the genre enough to know whether that comes standard. As for the theater itself, it may be time to refresh the fleet, but it doesn't get much more awesome than kicking back on a nice couch to watch a movie.

Laumeier Sculpture Park
Citygarden is hard to top, but Laumeier was a disappointment on its own merits. If you're planning a senior picnic or something, this is a great spot. But if you're looking for interactivity, skip this and go downtown. I don't have a strong enough art background to appreciate some of this work, but the fawning title cards seemed to have that covered.

books | "game change: obama and the clintons, mccain and palin, and the race of a lifetime"

2010-04-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

by John Heilemann & Mark Halperin. (hardcover, 2010)

If I came across it much later than now, I never would have read it. The strong structure and fantastically salacious in-the-room recaps of the action made its length seem less imposing. It's no more high-minded than the average political tome, and likely a better crash course in national campaigns than a poli sci textbook.

Oral histories can be delectable, especially so in this case where all the contributors anonymously torpedoed the landscape. Taking the caricatures with a grain of salt, and considering the known outcome of the story, my central question is: does Obama come off so well because he is the total package and was destined to win the election, or is that how everyone remembers it going down because that was the eventual outcome?

melody | "mouth"

2010-04-06T09:07:00.002-05:00

Hey, remember the '90s?

books | "tasteland"

2010-04-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

by aaron barnhart. (paperback, 2010)

My favorite TV critic went through fifteen years of features and columns and edited the best into this collection. It's a timeline of recent television history, from the mid-'90s to this year's late night debacle. In part two, Barnhart lists his favorite 100 series and specials in his time on the beat.

Barnhart's writing style and wholehearted embrace of the Internet were what drew me to his work eleven years ago, and they are on full display here. For TV junkies, it's totally worth the $12.

melody | "feels like home"

2010-03-29T23:17:00.002-05:00

Congratulations Matt & Rachel!

melody | "ode to merton (chatroulette improv)"

2010-03-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

Something to look forward to at next month's concert?

crisis of blog-fidence

2010-03-15T15:50:00.002-05:00

Is there a name for when you just don't know what to do with your blog anymore?

melody | "breakeven"

2010-03-08T04:10:00.000-06:00

haiku

2010-03-05T12:56:00.000-06:00

almost time to spring
ahead; nice today if you
overlook the breeze

fresh time, start again
potential allures...fall back,
performance judges.

melody | "this too shall pass"

2010-03-03T10:56:00.000-06:00

Just when you hadn't thought about Rube Goldberg in years.

script frenzy | here we go again

2010-03-02T10:24:00.004-06:00

If I am once again participating in Script Frenzy, it's time to come up with a plan. Deciding on a story structure or outline is something I failed to do in advance last year, and there were times during the writing process where I felt the pain. I now know to plan ahead and save myself the roadblocks.

But that leaves some important questions. What kind of script do I want to write? Should it be another feature/stage play? Should I do a spec episode (or two) of something? What about several shorts strung together to hit that 100 page mark? All valid options, none jumping out at me.

A writer writes, and I loved the productive churn of last April. It's something I'd love to capture again, if for no other reason than to shake the gloom I feel at the realization that last year's script is the only thing of substance (other than blogging) that I've done, writing-wise, in a year.

Anybody out there got a story they're just dying to see turned into an amateur script? Or suggestions on a format you think I'd love? I can compensate you in grapes or granola.

books | "push"

2010-03-01T13:21:00.000-06:00

by sapphire. (paperback, 1996)

Sapphire's chilling novel (recently adapted into film darling Precious) excels by stripping down a horrific story and letting the narrative hang on the deep well of hope Precious clings to. I saw the movie before reading the book, and this is one of those rare times when the book-to-film adaptation adhered almost completely to the original text. Both versions of the story succeed in their own media; the inclusion of the classmates' 'Life Stories' was a good choice. Up in the Air is also in my to-read pile before Sunday's Oscars, but Precious makes an especially strong case in the adapted screenplay category. I'd put this in the modern American fiction canon if I were writing syllabi.

haiku

2010-02-26T11:00:00.000-06:00

what is your yardstick?
who decides what success is
as we chase our tails?

*

what's the diff between
lunchlady and buffalo?
the nutrition facts

*

as we chase our tails
answers are just more questions
dizzy the world spins

books | "true stories of law & order: special victims unit"

2010-02-23T06:51:00.040-06:00

by kevin dwyer and jure fiorillo. (paperback, 2007)

At last, the sequel. I reviewed the original book after receiving it as a Christmas gift in 2008, and enjoyed the format enough to put this volume on my '09 Christmas list. One wonders if a Criminal Intent sequel looms, or whether the L&O-loving authors feel as much scorn as I for that weakest leg of the trilogy.

I'm not steeped in true-crime background, and I began to wonder why as I read this book. I guess I don't spend enough time in airport bookstores, maybe. It's not a genre that I seek out, despite my love for classic Unsolved Mysteries, but there were a few cases in this edition that I could see exploring over more than ten pages.

The writing this time seemed more even-handed; despite covering a lot of ground and having to constantly shift tone with every new chapter, Dwyer and Fio (as she's called on their blog, which includes updates on the cases) keep things succinct and punchy, even when treading the well-worn ground of the Boston Strangler or BTK.

Fio's new project is about history's famous bastards...intriguing, and I like the anthologized format. I'm not slapping it on the must-read pile yet, but I will try to remember to throw in more true crime going forward.

give me the lincoln memorial, or give me...uh...no pennies

2010-02-22T14:27:00.000-06:00

It's bad enough that we continue to produce the penny; it costs more than its face value to produce. But now we're redesigning it? What is the obsession with jacking up all the money? Maybe this has been going on steadily forever, but it sure seems like money stayed the way it was when I was growing up.

As for paper bills, anti-counterfeiting measures were a legit reason for tinkering with the design, ink, and paper. But no one is out there counterfeiting pennies and nickels. Someone at the mint must be totally bored. Also, this design blows.

melody | "dying day"

2010-02-15T14:25:00.002-06:00

snap | upward-facing dog

2010-02-09T09:32:00.002-06:00

melody | "just stop believing"

2010-02-08T11:26:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling mashy-uppy.

gone losting

2010-02-05T11:50:00.000-06:00

My brain is all mushy from overexposure to a certain island. Hopefully I wrap this up by Monday. It should be a good weekend if we can escape the worst of the weather. I wanna go to Pet Parade! Of course, Sunday is also the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. Freelance work is keeping me busy as well (yay). Now, back to the most expensive soap opera in history.

haiku

2010-02-04T14:03:00.001-06:00

breathe the summer rain
humid sticky on the lungs
toes, grass, shady stars

*

comfortable is
the man-made illusion of
freezing a moment

so living forward
is our blessed curse, if we
hold on with both hands

books | "season finale: the unexpected rise & fall of the wb and upn"

2010-02-03T10:02:00.000-06:00

by susanne daniels & cynthia littleton. (hardcover, 2007)

A caveat: as someone who grew up drinking The WB's Kool-Ade, I was going to like this book. Between the network's marketing genius, propensity for lightning-in-a-bottle shows, and that damn frog, I was hooked. I did enjoy the book, but as so often happens that doesn't necessarily make it good.

At first I assumed this book's obscurity (it's now out of print) was due to the inside-baseball subject matter. After 350 pages, my biggest issues were with tone and lopsidedness. Daniels was a charter WB executive, and is therefore in a unique position to tell this story. Due in part to its tumultuous history, there was no one on the UPN side to provide a similar perspective, so I'm guessing journalist Littleton was on board to flesh things out and fill in some blanks.

However, the whole thing is written in (presumably) Daniels' first-person. Certain WB execs are endlessly deified, and the tone is unsurprisingly anti-UPN. It gets a little "Dear Diary" in parts, sort of like a WB series about angsty network executives. UPN's inability to defend itself turns out to be a byproduct of its own messy business model; nonetheless, it bugs.

The excitement and enthusiasm for many of The WB's signature properties is at least telegraphed in linear recaps of development seasons, upfront presentations, and nail-biting revelations of ratings results. The early years of The WB do come across as a fun place to work, and confirming that suspicion might be the book's greatest accomplishment outside of being a compiled oral history of the era.

Since Hollywood is such a small town, it's understandable why this book likely avoided pissing people off more than it probably could have. But in that case, why not focus more on insider scoop about the networks' signature shows?

I'm not sure if it's a coincidence that the narrative falls apart around the time the network does (which also conveniently coincides with Daniels' exit). The last few chapters (as promised in the "& fall" part of the subtitle) drag, culminating in the WB-UPN merger resulting in the CW. A recap of the network's final night party was a fun note to go out on. Let's just leave it that I'm not sad it took me until now to read this one.

all you can eat

2010-02-02T10:15:00.002-06:00

The buffet restaurant is a paradox. Its humble beginnings have spawned an unlikely empire. How is this business model profitable? How do they plan for food cost? And yet, how do we still scoff at the $10 per plate they charge for unlimited access to their smorgasbord?

I can't answer any of those questions, but after a recent visit to Sweet Tomatoes, I can provide you with some tried and true tips to get the most out of your buffet visit.

Go a little before 4 p.m., when they jack it up to dinner price. You can score the dinner entree selection at the lunch price. Old people are right about this part (except on Sundays, where many places charge dinner price all day to gouge the Jesus crowd).

Avoid carbonated beverages. Your gastrointestinal system has enough to look forward to without liquid assistance.

Sit close to the food, but not too close. The longer you have to walk back and forth, the more time you have to think about whether you are full. If you are too near the food, however, you risk observing other customers who may taint your desire to consume self-serve mashed potatoes from the same pan as that woman in the muumuu.

Course the experience. Plate one should be a tapas-style sample of various items that strike your fancy. You are probably super hungry on the first plate, so it's okay to load this one up. That way you'll know what to go back for.

Plate two should be a hearty course including some protein and bread. Don't forget to try some soup or chili. Pasta will always be a gamble. Salad is mostly water, so depending on your toppings, you can pack down quite a bit of it.

Pace yourself. Like much of life, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Be careful with bread, because it can fill you up. The fresher and hotter, the better. If your bread is cold or has been out for a while, avoid it. When dealing with flatbread, it's okay to leave a pizza-style crust. Same deal for baked potatoes. While I normally advocate eating potatoes whole, this is a situation where leaving the potato skin behind is allowable.

By the middle of the meal, share recommendations with your fellow diners, and try something they enjoyed. This is a great way to help one another avoid the disaster items they throw in to flesh out the buffet.

If you feel yourself slowing down, take a break. The food will still be there in a few minutes, and it's not like they're going to run you out of there.

As you realize you are approaching the end of your stomach capacity, snag any items you've had your eye on but not yet sampled. Your final plate should be a collection of 'greatest hits' menu items, tailored to your personal tastes.

Final plate before dessert, of course. I'm convinced that every health department license for a buffet restaurant includes a soft-serve machine. Avoid the gelatin, and proceed directly to the sundae station. Place a brownie or cookie, where available, in the bottom of the dessert dish. Add your ice cream flavor of choice, unless the handle is broken off the chocolate, in which case you'll have to settle for swirl. Be picky about the sprinkles/crumbles/gummies...after all, we want to watch our calories.

Regardless of your age, it is tacky to wrap any items in a napkin and stuff them in your purse or pants pocket for off-premises consumption. It doesn't matter whether it's for your dog, it's still tacky.

There you have it, my recipe for getting the most bang for your buffet buck. Don't come crying to me when your stomach hurts.

melody | lady gaga & elton john

2010-02-01T08:20:00.000-06:00

But it was hard to top the night's opening number.

melody | "21 guns"

2010-02-01T08:17:00.000-06:00

Last night at the Grammys, Green Day performed with the cast of their new American Idiot musical.

books | "desperate networks"

2010-01-28T11:06:00.000-06:00

by bill carter. (hardcover, 2006)

With no singular narrative thrust, Carter's insider tale of turn-of-the-century broadcast television meanders over a lot of ground. There is no "Late Shift"-level crisis bringing this together (though the Conan-Jay succession plan merits half a chapter), and as such the book is free to broad-stroke five years of industry highlights.

The most potentially scandalous events could not be treated less casually. Instead, the narrative drama plays out in executive offices where suits toil over whether to commit to some of the decade's biggest hits. The inspiration for the cribbed title gets the lion's share of attention, as Marc Cherry toils in obscurity on the road to his Desperate Housewives fortune. Lost and Survivor are also thoroughly addressed.

I am too dorkily interested in the material to be an impartial judge about its quality. The Zucker stuff is interesting in the wake of the potential NBC-Comcast merger and of course NBC's Conan-Jay debacle. I'd forgotten a lot of Fox's salacious reality efforts, and Carter puts the blame for those at the feet of Mike Darnell. I do have a better idea of the corporate posturing that led to the last decade of television, but unless you are predisposed to care (a lot), this is one to skim or skip.

melody | "empire state of mind"

2010-01-27T11:53:00.000-06:00

I've been missing New York. "These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you..."

haiku

2010-01-26T21:12:00.001-06:00

let's all pimp my write
and find me a grown-up gig
to whore my talent

marketing, PR
advertising, copy, words
help me cash in and

keep my brain from just
shriveling into pureed
pumpkin baby food

snap | sad face at ice carnival

2010-01-21T00:04:00.000-06:00

One of several sculptures at last weekend's Ice Carnival in the Delmar Loop. (Chipotle's had a fake burrito frozen inside it.) I'm not sure whether this creature is sad because it is cold or devastated.

snap | walking the dog

2010-01-20T10:37:00.003-06:00

My favorite art installation in the Delmar Loop.

books | "the kid"

2010-01-14T15:32:00.000-06:00

by dan savage. (paperback, 2000)

Somehow I often end up reading the first book in a series last. Technically, the "Savage Love" columnist's sociopolitical memoirs are not a cohesive series, but they each tell different parts of the same autobiography. In this first installment, Savage and his boyfriend decide they want to become parents and investigate their options in achieving this goal.

Spoiler alert: they choose open adoption, and the story falls neatly into place from there, culminating in the successful adoption of a healthy baby boy. Savage's writing is always fun, but feels like it's reaching to prove its coolness here and there. This can possibly be attributed to it being his first book, or that it's been eleven years since he wrote it. I also wonder how much has changed about adoption law.

Savage's second book veered away from the family to examine the seven deadly sins in America. But 2005's The Commitment brought the story back home to boyfriend Terry and school-aged son D.J., and explored the fundamentals of relationships in our society. These later books were meatier, more confident...but what's to be confident about when you're writing your first book and becoming a parent for the first time?

The Kid reaches its natural conclusion, but the book leaves things painfully open-ended, another hazard of this memoir genre. I'd love to get Savage's perspective on raising a teenager, but my math indicates it'll be a few years before that story can be told. Beginnings always make me cry out for endings, though.

snap | remembering the snow

2010-01-12T08:02:00.000-06:00

Now maybe it could go away?

the hard stuff

2010-01-11T13:31:00.000-06:00

I never thought I would be one of those people. I mean, sure, I've experimented from time to time. I tried it, because everyone else was doing it and I wanted to fit in. Surely if all these other people like it, there must be something wrong with me. Now and then, I'd give it an honest shot, but it never seemed to work out for me. And I was fine with that.

Then one day, I met a guy who was into it. Not the hard stuff, though. It was cut with something, doctored up enough to be palatable. The first time he gave it to me, I liked it a lot. Then we tried it a couple more times, and before I knew it I was hooked. What had happened to me?

It runs in my family, you could say. My grandparents liked it. My dad has been into it for as long as I can remember, and he even managed to get my mom on board eventually. I was torn growing up about whether I wanted to be like them. Every so often, I'd steal some from their stash and try it myself, but I rarely finished what I took. The taste was just too horrible, and it lingered in my throat. How could people like this stuff?

In college, everyone around me was into it. There were places people would meet up just to hang out and do it -- professors, students, everyone. There is a well-documented history of writers abusing it to complete their work. Was I a bad writer if I couldn't get on board with this? I never really understood what it was they liked about it...it couldn't be the taste, and I never stuck with it long enough to figure out the high.

Once this pusher got me in the habit, though, I found myself seeking it out on my own. It was never as good as what he had, but I improvised and experimented...chasing the dragon, I think it's called. I found myself doing it at work, just to make it through the day. I knew I was in real trouble when I started bringing it home with me. Now I just consider it a part of life, the daily routine. It's just something I do. I never meant for it to happen or whatever. But somehow, I became a coffee drinker.

37.285 in 365

2010-01-05T15:13:00.000-06:00

I'm one year into my 101 in 1001 project, and things are going well. I'm just shy of where I should be if each list item took an equal amount of time to complete. The updated list is here, and I don't have anything major to add that I'm not annotating there. I'm impressed with myself for sticking with it, and remembering to revisit it after exactly one year.

books | "the TV writer's workbook"

2010-01-05T14:49:00.001-06:00

by ellen sandler. (paperback, 2007)

I always secretly enjoyed Everybody Loves Raymond, foremost because Marie reminded me so much of my grandma. But there was a finely tuned rhythm to the writing on that show, and Sandler's experiences on her way to and in the writers' room at Raymond provide the backbone of this TV how-to.

The heavy lifting here isn't in the reading, which is why zipping through such a book feels like cheating. This is a textbook, a workout plan for the writing muscle. Sandler keeps things concise, uses relatable examples, and peppers relevant quotations throughout these 300 pages.

Reading this was easy; applying it to the writing process is difficult. We'll see how that goes come Script Frenzy in April. I'm thinking having a clear set on instructions on my side will at least keep things orderly; making them amazing is up to me.

melody | "united state of pop 2009 (blame it on the pop)"

2009-12-31T12:00:00.001-06:00

adios, 2009

2009-12-30T09:24:00.001-06:00

What a year for a new year. 2009 was interesting, but I am excited about the new decade's potential. I would like everyone's economic fortunes to improve, though I realize that things were too heady in the last few decades, and that's how we got where we are today.

As we bring it down on 2009, here are some milestones I'll remember from the year that was.

This was my first full calendar year in St. Louis. I finally feel like a resident, and have learned my way around despite not owning a car. Now that Highway 40 is open, I'm learning all over again. I moved two blocks further into the Tiffany neighborhood, and finally understood what all the fuss is about, crime-wise. There are gunshots every other week, so cleaning up the violence would be a prudent 2010 goal. Other than that, it's a total hidden gem in the city, just begging to be gentrified.

Dead celebrities. Every year, a certain number of them take their final bows, but damn. And it's never the ones you expect, like Amy Winehouse or Britney Spears. We lost dozens of famous people this time out, and 2009 will be remembered for the sheer volume of expired fame. Michael Jackson will get more than his share of attention, but it's probably Bea Arthur that I'll miss most.

This was the year I finally discovered a taste for coffee, after years of trying and failing to enjoy it. It started with the new man in my life (a definite high point of the year -- love you, Scott!) introducing me to iced peppermint mocha at Starbucks. Then I started making it for myself at work, with extra squirts of pumpkin spice syrup. Now I make it at home most mornings, and have actually dedicated the coffeemaker to its intended use after years of service heating water for hot chocolate.

Facebook really owned the Internet in 2009. I spent my few months of unemployment among the denziens of Farmville, and once again abandoned something trendy right before it exploded in popularity. I continued to be unsure about my Twitter feelings, and am debating coming up with a new handle. And I finally abandoned MySpace this year, whose demise I'd like credit for predicting years ago when I signed up.

This was the year I got back into music. I flow organically in and out of the pop music scene, and this was assuredly an in year. From Beyonce to Lady Gaga, Owl City to (sigh) Miley Cyrus, I embraced it all...except for Rodrigo y Gabriela. Still hate you guys, and Music Choice for constantly trying to foist you upon me.

Finally, this was the year I enjoyed movies again. I saw more first-run films in theaters than in the previous several years combined. I'm not huge on action flicks, and I only like the "Final Destination" franchise for the comedy. But there was a lot to like late in the year. The two that I expect to stick with me are both Oscar contenders. "Precious" and "Up in the Air" are achievements in storytelling, unchallenged. It'll be weird to actually have an investment in movie awards for a change.

What are your 2009 highlights (or lowlights)? I'm curious about 2010...who knows what the future holds. This will be my first new decade as an independent adult. Bring it...maybe this is the year I get health insurance.

books | "u is for undertow"

2009-12-29T11:16:00.000-06:00

by sue grafton. (hardcover, 2009)

How much do I love Sue Grafton's PI heroine Kinsey Millhone? Thorough and reliable, she can always be counted on to root out the action from seemingly mundane details or supposedly unrelated events. This alphabet series is winding to an end, and I'm torn between wanting to experience the conclusion and hoping "Z" doesn't come just yet.

Grafton takes her time with these books, adhering to that '80s timeline (though some language may be starting to slip. Were phrases like 'bio-dad' common parlance in the Reagan era?) and checking in on beloved background characters Henry and Rosie. Shaking up the format in recent installments has been a success, approaching the stories from multiple perspectives without abandoning Kinsey's familiar voice. "U" explores the case of a botched kidnapping when an eyewitness suddenly comes forward two decades after the fact.

It's always satisfying to watch the pieces slowly come together, and "U" is a fun trip back in time that further illuminates the history of the series' fictional Santa Teresa setting as well as Kinsey's once-murky family history. I can't help but wonder if these subplots are setting up a major climax for the series, or if Grafton will keep an even keel to the end.

Wikipedia suggests the series is scheduled to end in 2019. I've been reading these for just shy of ten years (though "A" debuted in 1982), and as much as I'm sure the end will be bittersweet, I can't stand to wait another entire decade for the finale.

melody | "have yourself a merry little christmas"

2009-12-23T22:10:00.000-06:00

snap | "fun on the freeway, part deux"

2009-12-08T14:29:00.000-06:00

The crowds were out on a chilly Sunday for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the road before its reopening yesterday. Photo by Scott.

five-finger discount | fun on the freeway

2009-12-04T22:58:00.000-06:00

I plan to join the throngs of locals taking advantage of a rare opportunity this weekend. Sunday, on the eve of Highway 40's reopening, residents are invited to walk, run, and bike on the completed road. Details are on the I-64 site, and festivities include bicycle time trials, a 5K run, and a fancy ribbon-cutting. This is a chance to cast your better judgment aside and go play in the road.

tuck goes to tiffany

2009-12-03T23:58:00.001-06:00

I tweaked the blog title and color scheme this week. Tuck is the two-year-old medium mystery mix dog I share with my best friend/roommate. After graduating college in May 2008 in northern Alabama, we packed up and moved to St. Louis in late August 2008. Tuck hasn't been to the Arch much since then, but he does spend a lot of time in our neighborhood.

The Tiffany neighborhood is roughly bordered by Chouteau Avenue, Grand Boulevard, 39th Street, and I-44 in south St. Louis City, one of the city's smallest residential neighborhoods. In September 2009, Roommate Megan and I moved two blocks in Tiffany, and our awareness of the criminal activity here skyrocketed. We are both active in the neighborhood association and are hopeful that our frequent 911 calls (along with other factors) will have some effect on the intermittent gunfire that seems to plague our new street.

After a year, I'm starting to feel comfortable calling this city home and hopefully I'll be sharing more of my experiences and perspective as a relative newcomer. Either way, I changed the blog's name to be a more specific reflection of my geography. That I shifted to red during this festive month is purely fortuitous.

melody | "silver bells"

2009-12-02T21:01:00.000-06:00

Kicking off a month of holiday melodies, here's Vonda Shepard.

haiku

2009-12-01T23:50:00.001-06:00

exchange of gunfire
rings out again on my street
too often lately

911 people
say they need three calls before
police will respond

but the calls get 'lost'
and the cruisers rarely come
it's no silent night

books | "official book club selection"

2009-11-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

by kathy griffin. (hardcover, 2009)

Much like her reality series, Kathy Griffin's memoir (is there a specific difference between this and an autobiography, other than marketing?) isn't especially funny. In both cases this seems to be intentional. The telling of a story seems to win out over cheap shots, and the business of comedy is businesslike and unfunny.

It's an American story about Midwestern roots, old fashioned hard work, and self-made success. There are plenty of bumps along the way, including a probably pedophilic brother, classic eating disorder/image issue stuff, and an embezzling ex-husband. Griffin's name-dropping could cloy, but instead provides an interesting benchmark by which to measure her path to success.

There's a lot missing here. I wonder if Griffin would have anything more to say about Andre Agassi in light of his own recent revelations. It seems we'll never know how she and longtime assistant Jessica came to part ways, which leads me to believe it was either explosively painful or boring and amicable.

The prose is breezy but includes some recycled stand-up material. A highlight is a chapter composed solely of email correspondence between Griffin and former beau Steve Wozniak. My high opinion of Griffin has plateaued lately. Each season of D-List seems more contrived than the last, and her recent stand-up special was missable. Somehow, unexpectedly, this book has solidified my position as a fan.

melody | "I and love and you"

2009-11-17T11:54:00.001-06:00

melody | "dreams"

2009-11-09T10:43:00.002-06:00

haiku

2009-11-06T10:33:00.001-06:00

suddenly thanxmas
doesn't seem that far away
bring your recipes!

books | "my horizontal life"

2009-11-03T09:14:00.003-06:00

by chelsea handler. (paperback, 2005)

Having started from the nightly talk show and worked backwards to this, Handler's first book, it's obviously she was on the verge of success at the time of its publication. In almost every way, this book is written on a sixth or seventh grade level, provided you are a mature and worldly middle schooler. The simplicity serves these stories well, and Handler deftly navigates through a world of eccentric family members, intense friends, and generally forgettable one-night stands.

I'm figuring out that Handler falls into that "love her or hate her" category of comedians. Something about her verbose bluntness and propensity toward ridiculous lies makes me chuckle. In assessing whether I'd have appreciated Are You There Vodka more if I'd read it after this one, the only difference it might've made is at least I would've known who Shoniqua was. Bring on Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang in 2010.

melody | "party in the fip"

2009-11-02T11:02:00.003-06:00

If this category is to serve as a pastiche of my musical tastes throughout the year, I would be remiss not to include this damn catchy Miley Cyrus song. I feel co-opted by pop culture once again, but at least these Fire Island guys seem in on the joke.

I would've used the parody some Lutheran kids did of this video, but YouTube informs me it has been deleted by whichever potentially repressed undergraduate 'mo uploaded it. Guys, that could've been me!

snap | the reluctant subject

2009-11-01T22:59:00.002-06:00

"I bet you look good rolling right out of bed in the morning...or in it the night before!"

haiku

2009-10-30T08:21:00.003-05:00

yep, it's still raining.
october washed away in
a long fall deluge.

***

what to make of a
sideways-facing, upside down
ridiculous dog?

***

yep, it's still raining.
the recession will get worse.
hold on to your dog.

melody | "fireflies"

2009-10-29T11:25:00.002-05:00

I've seen more music videos in a month of having cable than in the previous 10 years. Also, I had a garage sale Type and Speak growing up, and it rocked.

now I've seen everything | metrolink prom edition

2009-10-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

Man, do I wish I didn't have to work Friday night. I totally need a day job, because it would free up my evenings for fun events such as this. Support your public transportation, y'all.

melody | "stay (I missed you)"

2009-10-19T17:02:00.002-05:00

I'd forgotten I always meant to love Lisa Loeb. The '90s, they were a simpler time.

melody | "maybe"

2009-10-12T17:01:00.001-05:00

Pretty colors!

haiku

2009-10-09T12:15:00.002-05:00

now in HD I
realize how bland TV
always looked before

never had the kind
of talent you'd see in a
school talent show

VH1 and I
feel for jacksons; their dad is
a total jackass

30.354 in 275

2009-10-06T11:53:00.003-05:00

Time for a fall update on my 101 in 1001 project. I've reached the point where I'm tired of some of the things on my list. It involves a financially unrealistic amount of travel (unless I become an airline pilot or stewardess in the next year and a half) given my current occupation. And given that other goals involve monetary responsibility, portions of the list seem to be at cross purposes with one another.

I'm toying with the idea of revising the list halfway through, because I often think of other goals that might be more applicable, less arbitrary, or slightly less vague. I now understand the instructions somewhat better...there I went thinking I knew better than everyone again.

Another slow starter seems to be the broad book categories. From the array of "I want to better myself" categories I set up to the chunk where I'm to read an unspecified number of books based on what's published between now and then...I'm not sure I set myself up for success to the best of my ability. Maybe these updates would happen more regularly than every three months if I felt I was making measurable progress on a smaller scale or was at least more excited.

But in some ways, this has already been a great thing in my life. I've used it as an excuse to get out of the house more instead of being an antisocial hermit crab, and that's a good thing. It's going well; I'm betting I didn't have this kind of completion rate this early the last time I did this project. Ask me again in three months, and we'll be at the one-year mark.

melody | "levi johnston's blues"

2009-10-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

If the currently available YouTube clips are any indication, this is shaping up to be one of those Ben Folds (excuse me, "Foldsby") songs that plays much better live than in the studio (see: "Give Judy My Notice"). I have included a studio demo version as well as a live performance for your consideration.

snap | classic pinball

2009-10-04T21:12:00.003-05:00

Panda Pavilion, 10/3/09

snap | in the checkout line

2009-10-03T00:40:00.003-05:00

haiku

2009-10-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

reconstruction, but
not in the civil war sense
a farewell to food

communication
only works if you reach out
elsewise, there's silence

I guess it's time to
bridge these concepts' mental gap,
if so: creation

seven stories about ben folds

2009-10-01T09:34:00.004-05:00

I heard that song before
The year was 2001. I was visiting Illinois for the first time since moving to Alabama at the end of the previous year. I was riding around with a carload of friends when "Brick" came on the radio. If you've only heard one Ben Folds song in your life, it was probably this one. Just by magic, or some other force of the universe, we all ended up singing along, harmonious and happy despite the heavy subject matter. It was a moment, but the moment was passed and forgotten about. I remembered it, though, when I got back to Alabama, and I picked up my first Ben Folds album.

whatever, whatever, I do what I want
The man has had an eclectic career. After catapulting to fame in the nineties as front man for the trio Ben Folds Five, he went rogue when they parted ways by the end of that decade. He has since collaborated with such folks as William Shatner, Jenny Lewis, The Bens Lee and Harper, and is now working with novelist-cum-lyricist Nick Hornby on an album slated for release in 2010 (keep an ear out for "Levi Johnston Blues"). In 2003 and 2004, frustrated with the turnaround process involved in album production, he released a series of Internet-only EPs to cut out the middle man. His 2009 greatest hits CD is actually a compilation of university acapella covers of his music.

my fragile little mind
This music wormed its way into my heart during an impressionable time in my life. I was doing that teenage angst, question authority thing that happens in one's teens. I was beginning to be suspicious of some of the adults in my life and of things I'd always been told. And yet, as I rode in the family van to church each Sunday, here was someone singing in my ear with no agenda. I cranked up the headphones and imagined what my life was going to be like when the future got here.

live
In 2004, at the end of our freshman year of college, Megan and I set out on a long journey. We drove all day from our north Alabama campus to the wilds of Danville, Kentucky. Megan lied to a professor that she was going to a wedding so she'd be allowed to take a final early. Still, we drove all day at reckless and sometimes indeterminate speeds. Megan likes to tell everyone about my doing 80 coming off an exit ramp...well, this is when that happened. And I still managed to make the stop sign at the bottom. All the maneuvering was worth it, because we got to meet Ben for a minute after the show. He was super cool in the dorkiest of ways, even when I accidentally touched his ass during the picture-taking portion.

the suze
A few years after I fell for the music, my sister entered her mid-teens and discovered it herself. She was also hooked, and being musically inclined, claims to often forget about the lyrics because she gets so lost in the melodies. Perhaps this is also her excuse for forgetting to return my copies of Ben Folds Live and Rockin' the Suburbs several years running.

singalong by the campfire
After the Five broke up, Ben started touring solo, just the man and a piano. So he created harmony parts for the audience on some of his songs. He assigns the parts, then starts playing a song, and does this dorky nod thing with his head when it's time for the throngs of backup vocalists to come in. It's an electric communal experience, like summer camp on steroids. "White people don’t sing together very often and, when they do, it’s about the celebrity of the song," he told Paste magazine a few years ago. "The singing at my shows is all about harmony."

the pageant
As we made our way into The Pageant the other night (this time without committing any traffic felonies or lying to aged professors), I was getting an intense frisking by a female security worker. "I feel violated," I told Megan once we made it inside. "No cameras allowed, but inappropriate sexual touching is a-OK?" Maybe it was karmic justice for my accidental groping of Ben five years before. We were violated again, this time on drink prices, at the bar. But then we settled in for a fun fall evening, even making it up to the pit for the headliner. There's never a mosh pit at a Folds show (well, maybe if he dusted off "Underground"); it's just a pack of excited fans who know all the words and love to see Mr. Folds abuse a piano. And did we ever have a time. It was better than church.

melody | "r u fucking kidding me? (the facebook song)"

2009-09-29T11:53:00.003-05:00

NSFW, but this was a highlight of Kate Miller-Heidke's set opening for Ben Folds last night at the Pageant. Disclaimer: this video clearly was not taken last night.

melody | "harder better faster stronger"

2009-09-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

Daft Hands, indeed.

friday haiku

2009-09-25T10:54:00.002-05:00

when moving,
getting there's only half the
fun. still must unpack.

separation angst:
can dogs be suicidal?
this week suggests yes.

***

life without TV:
what the hell were we thinking?
our weakness is strong

one

2009-09-24T17:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday marked the one-year point for this blog. Year one was about surviving. Perhaps this second year can be about thriving? This week marks thirteen months in St. Louis, during which time I have had three jobs (including one that lasted two days) and two apartments. I'm still as carless as the day is long, but I seem to be working that out. I've met some great people, including an unexpectedly awesome boyfriend. And my two roommates, Megan and the Amazing Tuck, have stuck around through it all. Here's to many more, happy and healthy.

aaaand...done

2009-09-22T23:55:00.001-05:00

I haven't been hiding (or lazy, necessarily). I've been moving, which is worse. But as of twenty minutes ago, I'm done with that, so let's get back to it, shall we?

monday melody | "bessie smith"

2009-09-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

books | "trouble"

2009-09-08T15:46:00.005-05:00

by kate christensen. (hardcover, 2009)

Kate Christensen is a well-kept secret of an author, finally gaining some much-deserved attention for her previous outing, The Great Man. No two books of hers are exactly the same. An authorial wit and tone tend to persist, on some level, through each of her five novels. But the circumstances, the characters, and their worlds are all constructed fresh each time. I have learned to savor the characters because I don't expect to see them again.

Perhaps that's why it took me several weeks to finish Trouble: I knew the end was in sight, but I wasn't ready to get off the ride. Now that I'm working again (and playing again, for that matter), the schedule is fuller than it had been for most of the summer, which cannot be discounted as a factor in my sluggish reading.

Trouble is told through the eyes of Josie, a fortysomething who turns to her best friends when she suddenly snaps into herself and realizes it's time to bail on her marriage. But it's hard to call her the protagonist, exactly, because though the prose orbits entirely around her, there are times when she is as subsumed by it as she professes to have been by her husband.

Christensen does not aim for Horatio Alger characters, nor does she set up elaborate showdowns or criminal shenanigans. She weaves a world and drops us into characters' relatively ordinary lives, and it is through these sometimes mundane events that they end up in unexpected places or unearth useful nuggets of perspective. Josie is not unlikable; in fact, her journey is relatable. But she is outshone at many turns by a supporting cast of friends and a not-annoyingly-precocious daughter; it's a fantastic device, if an interesting choice for the lead character/narrator. The title also verges on misleading.

I enjoyed my trip to Mexico with Josie and her college best friend-turned-rock star. It's not my favorite Christensen book, and I don't mean that in any negative way; favorite Christensen book is a tough standard, and I'm considering re-reading them all for the fun of it. The paradox of talent is setting the bar so high you can't always hit it yourself, but God forbid any of us should ever stop trying.

monday melody | "work song"

2009-09-07T08:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Labor Day, boys and girls.

snap | fast eddie's

2009-09-06T20:42:00.005-05:00

An area landmark. Possibly the highest volume bar in the world. Cheap food if you don't mind waiting for it. Unique atmosphere.

friday haiku

2009-09-04T10:01:00.002-05:00

forty-hour weeks
are still full time even if
they are in fast food

another month down
and one year in st. louis
long days and short nights

a wild ride; I say
new apartment time - thirteen
months is a record

monday melody | "you are my joy"

2009-08-31T22:39:00.000-05:00

Bonus points for the Brian/Justin love.

snap | time to see what we have, time to see

2009-08-30T02:21:00.003-05:00

Celebrating one year in St. Louis.

friday haiku

2009-08-28T09:08:00.002-05:00

blank and unwritten
etherized on the table
where are we going?

and cash doesn't bounce
wet to warm like a dryer
unimpossibly

a journey of a
thousand moments begins with
a roll of the dice

monday melody | "sugar high"

2009-08-24T14:05:00.003-05:00

This is that Coyote Shivers song from Empire Records. Tell that Cute is What We Aim For cover to keep aimin'. This is also one of those hilarious pastiche fan videos. Enjoy!

snap | drag in bloom

2009-08-23T23:24:00.000-05:00

Grey Fox, 8/15/09

friday haiku

2009-08-21T12:27:00.002-05:00

I really don't dance
At least, I try not to in
public, for respect

Why is recumbent
such a good angle if you're
just one of the boys?

Who have we angered
or pleased to deserve such a
mild, but wild summer?

Sentiment versus
sentimentality -- the
great writing lesson

wednesday melody | "blow away"

2009-08-19T23:45:00.001-05:00

by A Fine Frenzy. (lyrics here)

monday melody | "lover's spit"

2009-08-17T01:27:00.001-05:00

This is one of those songs that gets lodged in my head from time to time. It has recurred.

snap | soaking wet

2009-08-16T22:56:00.003-05:00

Wait out the sudden summer storm or run through it? As you can see, I still need to get that hair trim.

friday haiku

2009-08-14T11:53:00.002-05:00

balls in the air and
karma on my mind again
my juggling act

what's too far too fast?
who decides too much too soon?
there are no rules

gotta work to feed
the soul; would've thought by now
I'd have learned something

wednesday melody | "seize the day"

2009-08-12T22:16:00.003-05:00

This is a favorite for those days when I'm feeling earnest (though not particularly subtle). Feel free to marvel at the spectacular '90s overacting in the video. Ladies and gentlemen, Carolyn Arends.

tuesday melody | "32 songs in eight minutes"

2009-08-11T14:39:00.001-05:00

It's adorable acoustic week.

monday melody | "seeing stars"

2009-08-10T16:30:00.002-05:00

There's no rule that says I can't do more than one in a day.

monday melody | "samson"

2009-08-10T03:29:00.002-05:00

A beautiful cover of the Regina Spektor song by a cute and vocally talented boy. Bonus points for the well-organized closet in the background.

snap | historic phallus

2009-08-09T15:12:00.001-05:00

This is the Compton Reservoir, where we sometimes walk the dog. I've never toured it, because the inside is only open one morning a month for three hours and I usually manage to be either hung over or too broke to be able to make it on the appointed day. I used this as the background image on my phone for months, until I got tired of people asking if it was a cock.

books | "where are you now?"

2009-08-08T00:47:00.003-05:00

by mary higgins clark. (hardcover, 2008)

I've always been a mystery fan, going back to a childhood of the Boxcar Children. It has taken me two decades, but some of the magic is wearing off. Though Clark creates a new cast of characters for each novel rather than creating a franchise around a particular protagonist, her work does have a specific (and eventually predictable) formula.

There's an intriguing hook, a strong female lead who tends to find herself in jeopardy (and in the arms of a man, by the end), and an intricate web of New York-based family and business connections and upper-crust shenanigans. At this point, New York porn is all Clark's really bringing to the table for me, and that's ubiquitous in this modern age.

Earlier this year, I decided I needed a break from Evanovich's by-the-numbers Stephanie Plum capers. I know I get impatient waiting so long between installments of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone gumshoe novels, but she seems to take her time and focus on putting out worthy material versus churning out a book a year to keep everyone fat and happy. "U is for Undertow" drops in December; prove me right, Grafton. In the meantime, I'm taking suggestions on mystery authors.

friday haiku

2009-08-07T12:33:00.002-05:00

the mind's a runner
synapses making a good
two-minute mile

***

physical labor:
more satisfying than I
ever remembered

***

I talk some good smack
but somehow got addicted
to my old iPod

I got pictures of what's in my head.

2009-08-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

It's not a prose day. At least, not yet. That immutable creative buzz hums deep in the background. Whether it turns into something remains to be seen, "like a patient etherized on the table."

But this is much more a lyric-fueled, untethered, drabble sort of day. Plenty of springboards, but is the pool empty or is the water just invisible?

Fair is what you pay to ride the bus.

The most painful state of being is remembering the future.

Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken.

I want some chicken nuggets.

books | "deflowered: my life in pansy division"

2009-08-04T13:30:00.003-05:00

by jon ginoli. (paperback, 2009)

If I'd discovered Pansy Division a few years earlier than I did, they'd probably have cemented a place in my heart. Instead, I found relatively recently, but I nonetheless appreciate their contribution to music and gay culture. It still feels like there's a tiny bit of novelty in the 'gay punk rock' concept, but should there be?

Ginoli's memoir is a whirlwind history of how the band came to be, from its inception to their game-changing early '90s tour opening for Green Day. Though they haven't been as active in this decade as the last, the release of this book coincides with a new album and a doc about the band, so a whole new generation of gays (and people who like songs about dick) may be brought into the fold. Ginoli writes well, and to his credit kept tour diaries, which surely made putting this book together easy.

As a casual fan, I learned a lot of history (including that the band has been through roughly a dozen drummers in fifteen years) without getting too bogged down in anything dramatic; for such a groundbreaking band, they seemed to face relatively little scandal. And by staying independent, they managed to avoid many of the typical Behind the Music-style endings. One thing I will say is the album-by-album quick descriptions of the songs have made me more inclined to check out the back catalog. You can't fight synergy; it's bigger than all of us.

monday melody | "lovers in a dangerous time"

2009-08-03T16:09:00.003-05:00

One of those ocassions [sic] where the cover surpasses the original.

snap | the distractable subject

2009-08-02T23:35:00.004-05:00

This is Tuck. I can't remember if he's ever appeared here before. He was sitting so nicely, uncharacteristically calm and looking at the camera, but I waited a second too long to get the shot and he began to bound away.

Random trivia: this is the second blog I have named after one of my dogs.

friday haiku

2009-07-31T09:40:00.001-05:00

yellow mustard and
neon relish and onions,
tomato and sport

peppers, a pickle
and celery salt...behold
the chicago dog

books | "angry conversations with god"

2009-07-30T12:23:00.004-05:00

by susan e. isaacs. (hardcover, 2009)

This was one of those random featured new books at the library. I picked it up and it piqued my simmering agnosticism, and also because I can sympathize with the author's plight as a middle-class (ex-)Lutheran with daddy issues.

If you're able to grant the premise that this woman is taking God (and sometimes Jesus) to couples therapy, you should have no trouble getting through this, structure-wise. It feels like it would've been more timely a decade ago, at the end of the therapy decade, which is not to say it seems dated. The biggest liability is Isaacs' self-indulgent whining, and polar-extremes approach to her relationship with God. She is self-aware enough to concede these points, though, and manages to tell a story about a crisis of faith that works as a crossover title.

Rather than proselytize (at points she's unsure she'd want to anyway), Issacs lets those around her espouse various fixed religious positions and leaves plenty open to interpretation. As someone who rejected Lutheranism for rejecting his homosexuality, I was unsurprised that the prose took no stand about its few gay characters, who were also struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their spirituality.

Overall, I found it thought-provoking at points and a drag at others, but what I walked away with was a fresh perspective on the search for God and the bad rap we tend to give blocs based on the actions of a few. I'm not running toward the nearest church after reading this one, but I'm not running in the other direction either. Is 'standing still' a valid religious view?

wednesday melody | "life is a show"

2009-07-29T17:10:00.003-05:00

Couldn't hold out 'til Monday on this one. It's got me bouncing off the walls. And for the record, I choose to have no shame where my Degrassi love is concerned (though recent seasons have been underwhelming). Also, I was impressed to learn that Cassie Steele could sing. Her second album dropped, as the kids say, earlier this month. This, though, is from the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" movie, which, as I scooped over at the Manifesto, premieres August 14 on The N.

books | "waiter rant"

2009-07-28T15:55:00.003-05:00

by the waiter. (hardcover, 2008)

After roughly two years in the trenches of waiting tables, I'm a sucker for other people's war stories. In the same way that Waiting... resonates as a reflection of the extreme, unchecked tendencies and habits inherent to corporate chain restaurants, Waiter Rant paints an honest picture of the world of upscale dining. Having most recently completed a stint in the latter, this book was detox for me at points.

Adapted from the author's successful blog, Waiter Rant is slickly assembled, flowing from one horror story to the next. At points, the narrative feels too well-constructed; despite this, the skewed concept of time they hand you with your server apron manages to shine through in the book's pacing. I wonder how folks with no experience waiting tables would receive this book. Other than being mildly annoyed that someone's beaten me to the punch on this narrative, I was beyond satisfied with the service and a meal that left me full, and wanting just a tiny bit more.

Nice touches included appendices on how to be respectful of your server/restaurant and, on the other side, warning signs for employees that they're trapped in a nightmare establishment.