nick loaned me the brian chippendale “ninja” book, and it rules so hard it’s almost daunting, but ultimately inspiring.

as i’m sure you’re all well aware, IFC is releasing a new chapter of r kelly’s trapped in the closet every day now, with a DVD release date of august 21. you can see them online at the IFC website. this is like star wars to me, but i have to say that there is a downhill trend in the stories, which i think can be tied to the fact that they are videos before they are songs, and that rather than being released one a week, they are being released one a day. so there’s more overt laughs, less cliffhangers, and less attention payed to songform. still, i’m totally psyched. the plot is getting so convoluted it’s practically a harry stephen keeler novel. also there’s a lot of arguments with everyone talking over each other, which kells has a unique skill for writing/performing.

lots of people having been going to family 88 and getting the dumplings, which are delicious and inexpensive and not superbad for you. the lady who runs the place (who loves me) says to anyone buying just dumplings “your friend?” and then puts her hand high above her head to indicate a very tall person.

it’s long sleeves and shorts weather, can’t complain. oh, also, the new website is launched: daily panel. check it out, leave comments. also i made a website to try and raise some money for paisley park.

for previous pages see the category “comics“.

the new phone books came today, which is really not notable.

when cool breeze was living with his dad and they shot holes in the wall with a revolver so they could run water pipes through to the other room, they stacked phone books next to the wall to catch the bullet.

i don’t know where the idea “to knock someone out painlessly with a phone book” came from, but it’s an idea i use often, often as an offer to a griping person. on two occasions there were actual tries which were neither painless nor successful, once on ML (by me), once on me (by ML), each time during an exquisite and manic personal romantical hell. i guess they were successful in that they added a fine amount of drama and camaraderie, with an avowed “you brought this upon yourself and i’d do the same in a flash” on the part of the bookswinger. i don’t not understand people that don’t understand this, but i can’t say i exactly trust them either.

speaking of trust and casual near-obliteration, there was a party at my house a few days ago and i was certainly (as mike t says) into the night. i rarely drink, and was even against it for a while, so on the occasions when i do drink (always in celebration, always with others) it’s a sacrament. in other words, i do a good job. i was wearing my phone book shirt, which features two duck-headed people having seriously tantric sex while rainbow sprinkles rain down on them, and i realized the connection between the band and drunkenness (and other things), which is abandon. at the party i was saying some wild shit but i stuck to it, didn’t back down, and it worked. similarly, phone book was a chance for me to eschew musical rules, guidelines and safety nets i had always used, and prove (to myself alone) that i could have nothing, keep going, and it’d work out, even if (and actually, because), at times, i looked like an idiot. i’m not saying that everyone should get shitfaced every night, but i do think that periodically facing reckless abandon, in a positive, creative manner, is good for a person’s developement, which is ongoing. that night i had a dream about a 4-color comic book that i knew i would draw in the future, full of complete nonsense, but the sort of nonsense i am not, right now, able to create. the pages clicked by in a rapid-fire slideshow fashion, as if i were a ghost flying through the book while the book was shut.

in a few days jim (phone book drummer) is moving to minneapolis to go to grad school. i’m bummed for me but mostly psyched for him. he’s got a new tape coming out, with a lot of weird beats and fake rapping. to quote: “za za ra za wa za za hand / zabba labba za understand”. jim rules. PHONE BOOK!

me and nick made a pledge to be internet sustainable by this time next year, so i’m trying to making a webpage every time i have an idea for one, and throw some ads on. last week was 420cats.com. this week’s isn’t finished yet, but will go live on tuesday. the important part is that i’m sitting here working late at night, and i keep getting the feeling of wearing a hat, then i try to adjust the hat, and guess what, no hat. phantom hat syndrome!

it was cold last night, it’s cold tonight. great sleeping weather. i’m wearing lots of clothes again and my hair is really long and clean. MH- i still smell.

a few days ago we had a picture of jer, today it’s nick, giving his own variant of the “i am embarrassed by your need to take pictures with me in them” face/posture. uh, i didn’t take this picture, but i appreciate it. big up, nick!

this friday at HBML, there’s an art opening showcasing a new collaborative quilt me and my mother made. we went halvsies on some choice psychedelic fabric from esther’s fashions and each made half a quilt with it without comparing notes or letting the other person see. we’re sewing them together this afternoon, but the opening at the store is, like i said, friday. from 6 to 8, with beverages.

esther’s fashions is on pleasant st, just a few blocks from the store (towards downtown). it’s an african clothing store that sells small bolts of really awesome, sometimes garish, sometimes beautiful, fabric. you have to buy the whole bolt (which is like 6 yards) but it’s totally worth it. they also sell really really pointy men’s shoes, made of a variety of leathers including ostrich and alligator.

i set up an etsy shop to start selling stuffed animals. not the ones from the 365 days of stuffed animals project, but duplicates of some of them, and some of the newer mash ups i’ve been selling down at the store. hit it if you’re into it- kid’s gotta eat. right now the only one up is the parakeet, featured above, which i have three of. more in the next few days as i get better pictures.

now if sylvan doesn’t put some of her beaded stuff online by friday, she gets to buy me dinner, as per our bet. but if she does comlete her mission, then we celebrate with a nice dinner. win win!

a great weekend i will herein document as inspiration for the ages.

friday there was a birthday party for my mom, which was great, and my aunt made strawberry shortcake, which tastes good. afterwards i went over to casino night on castle st, a money-losing affair that was ok because it was a fundraiser for the artichoke co-op. blackjack, mah jongg, roulette, bean counting game, stuff like that, and mz made a slot machine out of a refrigerator box, with himself inside, yelling “you lose!”. there were also both kinds of drinks, and appetizers from duck yao, and gentle dan burke crooning in the background in the style. i played blackjack mostly and everyone around me was winning but i was losing because such is my nature (and there are worse things to be than “unlucky at cards” (although i am frequently those things as well)). it was also a birthday party for a variety of people including dan o, so happy brithday dan o, and happy birthday anna louise.

saturday there was a super kick-ass show at discovery channel. i played first and it worked– i felt ok and played some newish songs (actually old songs i kind of forgot about), and did some funny messing around and didn’t even really forget anything which i’m always worried i’ll do (and often do). unmanned ship was next, they are a two-piece bass drums mid tempo riff ensemble, and they totally ruled. after them was eyes ears nose, who are on tour with unmanned ship, and consisted of the dudes in unmanned ship and three other people. they had a real sunny sort of AM gold sound that i didn’t find that interesting, but that’s ok, who am i anyway? next was matty popchart, who broke a string early on but it worked out as it put him in the sitting down fingerpicking mode. he even did a fingerpicking instrumental, which blazed in a fahey style. and closing off the night was best friends forever, who ruled so hard i almost couldn’t take it.

BFF is three people- bri and jess, who both sing and play guitar/keyboards (bri) and bass (jess), and joe, who plays drums. the general vibe is intense and inspirational friendship– all the songs are about romance, but in a way that is more about telling your best friends what you want to say to someone you have a crush on than it is about actually talking to the person. if that makes it all sound defeatist, well, it’s not– it all just kind of puts everyone on the same “brassy dreamers” team. and the music’s really dancy, it rules.

slept over at forbes st and in the morning me and BFF and MPC drove to the go go for pancakes and hanging out, then to check out the store and do business. later in the day i got stung by a bee, which kind of ruled, and went to see the simpsons movie at the drive in– it was good.

for previous pages see the category “comics“.

i got the gary panter book “cola madnes” in the mail today, ordered direct from the source with birthday money. special bonus- it came with an extra comic book, and everything (the book, comic, and envelope) had extra drawings on / in it! this really made my day. the book rules obviously.

moving rapidly downhill, today at the store some kids came in and swarmed me and made off with $30, which totally sucks and made me so mad i went home. i guess that even though money is really tight right now (with the store and especially with me personally) $30 isn’t the end of the world. plus it gave me the idea to switch to summer hours, so that’s something positive.

oh, the new hours are:

• wednesday 4:30pm – 8:00pm

• thursday 4:30pm – 8:00pm
• friday 4:30pm – 8:00pm
• saturday 2:00pm – 5:00pm

got it?

oh, and i just got word that mel and carolynn are coming home tomorrow night, and marge should be back next monday!

pictured above is the jaybird in the summer swing mode of days of yore. note the shoes!