November 6, 2009
SCORE. From this AM’s post-vinyasa thrift-shop visit. Now I just need to learn DIY framing.

SCORE.
From this AM’s post-vinyasa thrift-shop visit. Now I just need to learn DIY framing.

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November 5, 2009
Happy Guy Fawkes Night.

Happy Guy Fawkes Night.

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October 22, 2009

Sea Creature, Sex Creature, Woman in Love!
Because the 25-year hs reunion is this weekend, and because it’s always Retro Thursday here.
I cannot believe I still dig this song. Just hearing it right now transports me back to Sunday night dance parties at St. Andrew’s, so long ago that the downtown parking lots were unattended all weekend long. I found this vid today, it’s hilarious, I know.

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October 1, 2009
Chance seemed to enjoy a very long lakefront Indian summer walk today.

Chance seemed to enjoy a very long lakefront Indian summer walk today.

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September 21, 2009
Subtitled "The enduring rot in American politics"

Here we go! A dark, dank Monday morning, plus daylight was gone at 7:47 pm last night. Also: the Deere debacle on Mad Men!
This was nice and vicious, too, in yesterday’s NYT.

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September 12, 2009
The $624 Cup of Coffee

The $624 Cup of Coffee

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September 3, 2009
Kenyan Kitteh I’m trying to get a huge amount of reading done before the weather gives up. I’m mostly through Frances Osborne’s The Bolter, the salacious bio of her oft-divorced great-grandmother Lady Idina Sackville, who kept a serval cat as a pet. Next up is the post-Katrina NOLA crime tale Shake the Devil Off. Then, when the weather turns, I’m gonna gut the kitchen.

Kenyan Kitteh
I’m trying to get a huge amount of reading done before the weather gives up. I’m mostly through Frances Osborne’s The Bolter, the salacious bio of her oft-divorced great-grandmother Lady Idina Sackville, who kept a serval cat as a pet. Next up is the post-Katrina NOLA crime tale Shake the Devil Off.
Then, when the weather turns, I’m gonna gut the kitchen.

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August 29, 2009
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August 20, 2009

“Pop Musik,” M, 1979.
It’s Retro Thursday.
Writing about Ernest Ranglin, the jazz guitarist credited with coming up with the riff that is ska, led me to “Rivers of Babylon,” the 1972 Melodians’ version, which Ranglin played on/arranged, which led me to YouTube to find Boney M, who covered it in 1978 in a discofied version. This prompted me to hunt down the black-German (really!) disco act’s 1979 hit “Rasputin,” which I think I saw them perform on Soul Train, which led me to another mind-blowing track from this era.
Some days it’s hard to be productive. LalalalalalalaLA.

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August 12, 2009
Chance loves the new doorless door! The screen is in transit. The window glass is going in today, after I did a little more painting. This was a complete stroke of luck: I planned to get a new back door, but as usual was completely appalled by the prices Lowe’s wanted for their cheap plastic-y crap. Plus they were more expensive than the in-stock, because it was special order, because it was a 30-inch, because I live in a house built in 1924 so it’s all a big hassle for big-box corporate retailers of consumer junk to carry this size. I was planning a trip to Architectural Salvage Warehouse Detroit to scope out what they had, but a week later I was walking the dog down the alley and found a white storm door, full view, just the kind I wanted. I went home and got my tape measure (every single guy I told this story to asked me, “But did you measure it?”) and it was 30 inches. I popped it in the car, spray-painted it black, and yesterday my genius contractor got it to fit inside the existing frame and dealt with Andersen’s 1-800 line directly for the screen order, which saves me the always-dispiriting visit to Home Depot. Total cost: screen, labor, + shipping: $160. I’m gonna paint that threshhold thingy. Black black black.

Chance loves the new doorless door!
The screen is in transit. The window glass is going in today, after I did a little more painting. This was a complete stroke of luck: I planned to get a new back door, but as usual was completely appalled by the prices Lowe’s wanted for their cheap plastic-y crap. Plus they were more expensive than the in-stock, because it was special order, because it was a 30-inch, because I live in a house built in 1924 so it’s all a big hassle for big-box corporate retailers of consumer junk to carry this size. I was planning a trip to Architectural Salvage Warehouse Detroit to scope out what they had, but a week later I was walking the dog down the alley and found a white storm door, full view, just the kind I wanted. I went home and got my tape measure (every single guy I told this story to asked me, “But did you measure it?”) and it was 30 inches. I popped it in the car, spray-painted it black, and yesterday my genius contractor got it to fit inside the existing frame and dealt with Andersen’s 1-800 line directly for the screen order, which saves me the always-dispiriting visit to Home Depot. Total cost: screen, labor, + shipping: $160.
I’m gonna paint that threshhold thingy. Black black black.

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July 27, 2009
“Was John Cazale the Greatest Actor of His Generation?”New York, July 24, 2009. No matter how many times I’ve seen The Godfather II, I still cry at this scene. Poor Fredo! Poor John Cazale. There’s a new doc on his life/career.

“Was John Cazale the Greatest Actor of His Generation?”
New York, July 24, 2009.
No matter how many times I’ve seen The Godfather II, I still cry at this scene.
Poor Fredo! Poor John Cazale. There’s a new doc on his life/career.

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July 12, 2009
“Watching Whales Watching Us”New York Times Magazine, July 12, 2009. Best thing I’ve read all week; click image to link. And that includes the snitty Vanity Fair article about the Madoff boys and the New Yorker profile on Nora Roberts. (Photo credit: National Geographic, of course!)

“Watching Whales Watching Us”
New York Times Magazine, July 12, 2009.
Best thing I’ve read all week; click image to link. And that includes the snitty Vanity Fair article about the Madoff boys and the New Yorker profile on Nora Roberts.

(Photo credit: National Geographic, of course!)

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July 7, 2009
Apologies for complete lack of interesting content of late. I’ve been checking this blog every morning to get myself fired up for that whole work/$/renovation algorithm. The upstairs is on the agenda—all gray/blue/purple/pink. I also love this one. In sum, they almost make up for a Domino-less world.

Apologies for complete lack of interesting content of late.
I’ve been checking this blog every morning to get myself fired up for that whole work/$/renovation algorithm. The upstairs is on the agenda—all gray/blue/purple/pink.
I also love this one. In sum, they almost make up for a Domino-less world.

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July 4, 2009
CityFest 2009. In the Executive Transport Vehicle on the way to see Todd Rundgren.

CityFest 2009. In the Executive Transport Vehicle on the way to see Todd Rundgren.

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June 15, 2009
A robot was among the guests at Gwen’s birthday party last night.

A robot was among the guests at Gwen’s birthday party last night.

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