I’m having a yard sale. This means I now have “Yard Sale Anxiety” as I try to ready my goods for sale. There is much to do! If you’re in Mpls, come peruse my stuff on Saturday, August 14, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., 4346 Wentworth in Mpls. As my grandpa used to say (generally when serving cocktails) “Give it a good home.” Facebook invite here.
Stay tuned for a preview of items up for grabs.
If you’re a regular reader of Not Shallow, then you may have read an earlier post about the webcomic Gentleman’s Gentleman, which is drawn by my husband, Keith Pille. He’s currently raising funds on kickstarter.com for a print edition of G.G., with an entire “rewards” system set up for backers (my only complaint, really, is that I feel a gian SloPoke should be a reward for the $20 level, just like in grade school when you sold magazine subscriptions). He just started fundraising last week and he’s already about 30% there, which is tremendous, I think.
Even without the hoopla of physical rewards, backing G.G. is pretty great just because you’re supporting a specific endeavor of someone who works a day job and then spends a hell of a lot of time drawing cartoons because he loves it and believes in it. Every time I start to feel lazy about Not Shallow, he’s at his drawing board, cooking up another comic and I think, “Damn you! Damn you and your DIY ambition to hell!” But I’m not really mad. I’m inspired.
I’m asking anyone out there who gives a damn about comics, cartoons, etc. to consider backing this project for $10 or $20. Today we all got the news that Harvey Pekar died and I saw that someone tweeted, “In honor of Harvey Pekar, spend some time today drawing comics that are yours and don’t belong to a big corporation.”
I feel the same way about writing. Spend some time today writing (or painting or crafting or cooking) just because you can and because you love it!
If you’ve never been to kickstarter.com before, you’ll find many other worthy projects there as well. If comics aren’t your thing, at least take a look at all the other projects people want to do. If you would rather fund a short film about a school for clowns or a photography exhibit about dog noses, that’s your prerogative, just like Bobby Brown sez.
She Comes From The Mother Dimension
It’s taken me a while to feel this way, but I really love the quirkiness of my mom.
I kind of hated her in high school. In fact, when I found an old journal from that period of my life, some of the run-ins with my mother that I recorded there were actually physically painful to read.
It must have been hard to raise me, even though I was considered a “good” kid. I had my own ideas about stuff right from the start. I’ll never forget the time she said to me, “You always want to do things the hard way.” That seemed an odd judgment to me, considering that my mother does not cut corners, slack off or laze about. I’ve never seen her in pajamas past 9:00 a.m. except on Christmas morning.
My mom worked very hard at professional jobs for most of her adult life. She earned a Masters degree when I was in grade school and went on to get her Ph.D. She is the ultimate task master and multi-tasker. We had to work diligently on our grammar and writing when we were in school. We had chores that included ironing, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. We earned allowances and had bank accounts. All of this was to prepare us to be responsible adults and there wasn’t a lot of room to turn out any other way.
Funny WebComic Shiz: Gentleman’s Gentleman
Another Fun & Exciting Summer item: the webcomic Gentleman’s Gentleman. The most recent lesson is about drinking games. The aim of Gentleman’s Gentleman is simple: to bring the light of gentlemanly manners to an uncouth, faintly scuzzy world. You may recall my post about the rules of being a gentleman’s gentleman… oh, you don’t? Well, you can read it here.
Yes, the artist/cartoonist is my ball and chain, Keith Pille. Ball and chain! Ha ha ha! I just made that up.
My top Gentleman’s Gentlemen (this week):
1. Tim Gunn
2. Dominic Dunn
3. George Clooney
4. Tony Bennett
5. Paul Newman
Check out the comic, bookmark it, learn the lessons, LIVE IT!
It’s summer and there are suddenly some new things to be excited about… As the group of bums standing around outside Hums Liquor yelled at me today, “It’s time to hit the beach!” Yeah, totally! I thought to myself, “What if I took them up on their offer, went to some beach with them and never even called work to say I wouldn’t be returning?” What if? This seems to be what life is all about, people.
First and number one, there’s this. I’m so excited for Season 4 I find myself dreaming about it sometimes. When I’m not dreaming that I can’t find a house I’m looking for because the address on the piece of paper I’m holding keeps changing. That’s a fun one.
Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of summer. We took the drive to Wisconsin to visit my parents and here are the highlights. I wish I had some photos to share but our camera is currently broken. A new one is on the horizon though.
The Bears Are Out Of Hibernation
I stumbled across the Minneapolis Movie Bears site when I heard about a rummage sale they are having. It makes me supremely happy that a group like this exists in Minneapolis. I like it when people come together and do their thing, whether it’s bears who love movies or middle-aged women who love dolls. Whatever it is.
I also ♥ their logo, which looks like we’re peaking in on the A&W Root Beer bear when he’s off the clock and living his real life…
Yo. Word. Adjective. Pronoun. Adverb…
Reggie Watts opened for Conan O’Brien last night at the Orpheum Theatre in Mpls. He ruled the school.
This video ain’t for everyone… cuz of the naughty words. But it’s random and hilarious. Love the dancing clown.
His new CD/DVD is on sale now… you can get it through iTunes. It’s called “Why S*** So Crazy?” Indeed.
Yesterday, I put together a new play list on iTunes in honor of my birthday. Here is what I picked:
1. Maneater by The Bird and The Bee; yes, a cover of Hall & Oates. I happen to love H&O, Keith hates them. He hates them with a passion usually reserved only for Steely Dan. I had to admit that “Private Eyes” isn’t so wonderful but I greatly enjoy the rest of their catalog. “Rich Girl?” Come on! Anyway, this cover is great. After I bought it I realized that I have another song of theirs, a cover of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love.”
2. Dim’s Jazz (Latin’s In The House) by Dmitri From Paris – this is all about my quest to not only embrace the 1990s World Beat sensibility but also to listen to French electronic/jazz/house music. I feel as if I need a musical niche. And yes, I’m pronouncing that “neeche.”
So my Mad Men Season 3 discs arrived yesterday and when I opened the box, a little postcard fell out. On it is a sketch that is labeled, “Ken as Roger Sterling.” Flip the card over and it says, “Award-winning Series. Award-winning Style. Mad Men and Barbie Debuting Summer 2010.”
Woah. Hold on. This is a whole dimension I never thought of before. And of course I want every single doll.