May 7th, 2009 Yeah, congrats…

Winner of the year-long Island Reef job…Squirly thinks we should start an alt-blog mocking his posts. Any takers?

Green is such a pretty color on me, though>;)

May 7th, 2009 Squirly grrl, stealing my thunder

http://squirl-talk.tumblr.com/

But now I know where to get all the news I ever wanted directed at my demographic;)

April 19th, 2009 not dog

For some reason David really wanted me to put up this picture of the fake hotdog he burnt and then ate…making me look like a pro, I complied;)

April 14th, 2009 efficacious?

Once again, the Unitarian Universalists are overestimating the literacy of Baltimoreans. Thanks for believing, UU.

April 8th, 2009 Transmodern revisited

Eddie Winter was kind enough to send me his pics of the recent Transmodern Festival in Baltimore…so obviously I now regret not having at least stopped in. Although I’m pretty sure seeing the clown (note by his head reads: “things could be better”), who may or may not be Josh Kelberman, might have been one of the highlights. BTW, I agree, things could be better.

April 7th, 2009 Come sail away

I’m not saying I’m not a fan of Styx, just that I may have been hardwired to feel this way. From the time I was a kid, my very loquacious and often repetitive father would go on about how the best show of his life was the REO Speedwagon/Styx/38 Special show in PA somewhere. The whole thing just made me laugh, but as I got older, I realized how much Styx had to offer in one of my fave subgenres: “sing at the top of your lungs with the windows of your car rolled up.” Also a member of this imagined subgenre is Neil Diamond. Even old people make fun of me for that one.

Having heard my Dad retell the story of that mythic summer day somewhere near Pittsburgh is like listening to the saddest kind of nostalgia. It’s as if it was Woodstock to the man, but instead of a generation-wide, counter-culture event, it was just your average outdoor concert. After covering music festivals and working them and just going to them, I surmised that my Dad hadn’t been to a ton, nor had he ever gone to many after. So for Gene O. it was the day to beat all days.

He describes the heat and crowd like Bulgakov portraying Pilate’s Barabbas/Jesus day. This is why when I saw the  REO Speedwagon and Styx with 38 Special  billing at Merriweather, I knew I must cash in.

Granted it’s a Tuesday and the show starts at 7 p.m., but I mean, they are probably getting up there. I really just want my Dad to face the truth: maybe the show in the 60s/70s he saw just wasn’t that great. Or maybe I want to see what kind of story he’ll concoct to make it seem like it was even better comparatively.

I’m not about smashing dreams, but when you’re an only child of a single parent who is as emphatic and prone to storytelling as this man, the temptation is irresistible. So, I’m shining up my pin and looking for some red balloons to pop. Cause I’ve got too much time on my hands…okay, that was just wrong, sorry.