bring on mammageddon! in honor of boobquake day, please enjoy this little slice of wondrousness by rusty warren:
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
hot sam's
on the way home from minneapolis, we espied this fabulous mako-esque shark sitting on a trailer along I-35. we'd seen it on the way up; we couldn't resist the temptation to stop and see it up close. admittedly, i wanted to buy it to put in the ditch in front of my house (how cool would that have been?!) but he wasn't for sale. what we found was hot sam's--a treasure trove of material memories, started in the 20's and still being added to today. it is most definitely a must-see if you are up that way!
welcome to hot sam's, a little bit of heaven
sophie bunny and lion
sophie bunny and giant guitar
sophie bunny and bunny
this is the alluring shark--it's probably a good thing they wouldn't sell it to me as i don't need to piss off my neighbors any more than i already have...
...i did, however, have to demand that sophie put her head in its mouth
rideable horsie!
and another rideable horsie!
rideable calf!
rideable creepy donald duck head!
she determined this to be a rideable rooster, alas no one would help her get on it (hence the pout)
she got over her snit when the owner made rich get into a rusted jail box...a dirty, dirty, rusted jail box...we were all thoroughly entertained watching him try and avoid touching it
circus trailer
wonderful graphics for man-eating beasts
sophie discovers a her-sized plane...
...and gus finds one that suits him as well
he worked on getting it started for a bit, then gave up in favor of...
...nosey rosey.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
art-o-mat in minneapolis
art-o-duckwe took a road trip to minneapolis last weekend for an art-o-mat meet-n-greet--a chance for some of the midwestern artists creating works for art-o-mat to get together. as i've written before, i'm a huge fan of art-o-mat and i genuinely believe in its mission of providing quality art at an affordable price ($5 per!)...and i believe i am very lucky to be included in the artist mix. the exhibit/swap was held at the le meridien chambers hotel, which has a tremendous art collection of its own, and i think about 25-30 artists came to the event. the one thing that really impressed me was the quality of work being produced--you'd be hard pressed to categorize many of our works as similar, but they were all equally high-caliber...if i do say so myself. check 'em out online here or on facebook!
beginning the process of creating art-o-mat works: washing the blocks (they're pressed chipboard, i think, and they usually arrive kinda dusty)
drying the blocks; cutting the images
affixing the images
50 art-o-mats almost ready to go!
wrapped in cellophane (i used the wrong tape, damnit--it is supposed to be clear and i used the frosty kind) and boxed, usually shipped to NC but in this case it travelled to MN...
...for the swap!
the display of art-o-duck (thanks, took, for shooting this!)
me (photo courtesy of...?)
some fabulous artists participate in art-o-mat: this is scott blake's "barcode elvis"
works by david franke
and by kelli busch
art-o-missy! can i even tell you how thrilled i am that my portrait is blurry? like my work, i am but a blur. (thanks, clark!)
and afterwards, since the kids were good, we braved the mall o' america for this lovely photo-op...
...and a few awesome lego dinosaurs...
...and even some lego star wars coolness...
...finishing it all off with a platinum dinner at the rainforest cafe.
sleepy family enjoying a morning of tom & jerry at the chambers hotel. perfect.
Monday, April 12, 2010
apparently the guys at my gym aren't alone
i'm laughing my ass off. i was watching "i'm alan partridge" with steve coogan, and just about fell over when this little tidbit came on. can't find a video--read the transcript below.
I’m Alan Partridge
Starring Steve Coogan
Written by
Peter Baynham
Steve Coogan
Armando Iannucci
Episode 3 – Watership Alan
Lynn: Just a few things, Alan.
Alan: Right.
Lynn: We’ve had a call from Norwich Radio. There’ve been more complaints from farmers about… what you said.
Alan: Right, how many?
Lynn: Fifty.
Alan: Oh, your age. [Alan sits on the side of his bed] Well, Hamilton’s have –
Lynn: Alan, you’ve come free at the side.
Alan: [Adjusting himself] Oh, sorry, sorry. It was a genuine mistake. Anyway, I got the Hamilton’s job.
Lynn: Yes, I’ve been speaking to them. They’re coming over this afternoon.
Alan: Right.
Lynn: Did they say that you have to have your wife on the shoot?
Alan: [Getting up, irritated] Oh, Lynn, did you tell them that my wife has left me and she’s living with a narcissistic sports pimp? [He sighs, and sits back down.]
Lynn: You’ve… you’ve popped out again.
Alan: Oh. [Adjusts himself again, with a sigh] That wasn’t deliberate, I promise you. It’s not a cry for help. It’s just I’ve had these shorts since 1982. They did have an underpant lining, but it’s perished. They’ve taken a bit of a pounding over the years. In fact, can you get me some new ones, please?
[Lynn writes his request down on her notepad.]
Alan: I’m going to have to ring Carol and ask if she’ll do the corporate video. Lynn, Lynn, you speak to her, you speak to her, please. [Gives the phone to Lynn, who groans.]
Lynn: Hello. Yes, he is. [Hands the phone to Alan. The cord is pulled round her neck.] It’s a man.
Alan: Oh, that’s her boyfriend. Hello? Yeah, it’s Alan, your lover’s husband. The immersion heater? [Alan sits behind Lynn, making the telephone cord pull tighter on her neck] It’s underneath the stairs. You only really need to press that if you’re having a deep bath. Well, put it on an hour before, Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got a deep bath. Yeah, well if you would, please, yes. [To Lynn] He’s gone to get Carol. You speak to her, you speak to her.
[Alan hands the phone back to Lynn. The cord is now wrapped around both their necks, tying their heads uncomfortably close together.]
Lynn: Hello, Carol, how are you?
[Alan makes a ‘get to the point’ hand gesture]
Lynn: Oh, er, Carol, would you like to be in Alan’s corporate video? Right. [To Alan] She says no and she wants to speak to you.
Alan: Tell her I’m not here.
Lynn: He’s not here. [To Alan] She says she can hear your voice.
Alan: Erm, call her a fat cow then hang up.
Lynn: Fat cow!
[Lynn slams the phone down. In doing so, she pulls her and Alan’s heads down towards the bed.]
Alan: Well done, Lynn. Now, before we get up, I’m just going to warn you, I have popped out again. It’s in no way connected with our proximity, so just don’t turn round.
[Alan untangles himself from the phone and adjusts his crotch.]
Alan: Right, the boys are back in the barracks! [Singing] Take a pinch of white man…[Walks off]
I’m Alan Partridge
Starring Steve Coogan
Written by
Peter Baynham
Steve Coogan
Armando Iannucci
Episode 3 – Watership Alan
Lynn: Just a few things, Alan.
Alan: Right.
Lynn: We’ve had a call from Norwich Radio. There’ve been more complaints from farmers about… what you said.
Alan: Right, how many?
Lynn: Fifty.
Alan: Oh, your age. [Alan sits on the side of his bed] Well, Hamilton’s have –
Lynn: Alan, you’ve come free at the side.
Alan: [Adjusting himself] Oh, sorry, sorry. It was a genuine mistake. Anyway, I got the Hamilton’s job.
Lynn: Yes, I’ve been speaking to them. They’re coming over this afternoon.
Alan: Right.
Lynn: Did they say that you have to have your wife on the shoot?
Alan: [Getting up, irritated] Oh, Lynn, did you tell them that my wife has left me and she’s living with a narcissistic sports pimp? [He sighs, and sits back down.]
Lynn: You’ve… you’ve popped out again.
Alan: Oh. [Adjusts himself again, with a sigh] That wasn’t deliberate, I promise you. It’s not a cry for help. It’s just I’ve had these shorts since 1982. They did have an underpant lining, but it’s perished. They’ve taken a bit of a pounding over the years. In fact, can you get me some new ones, please?
[Lynn writes his request down on her notepad.]
Alan: I’m going to have to ring Carol and ask if she’ll do the corporate video. Lynn, Lynn, you speak to her, you speak to her, please. [Gives the phone to Lynn, who groans.]
Lynn: Hello. Yes, he is. [Hands the phone to Alan. The cord is pulled round her neck.] It’s a man.
Alan: Oh, that’s her boyfriend. Hello? Yeah, it’s Alan, your lover’s husband. The immersion heater? [Alan sits behind Lynn, making the telephone cord pull tighter on her neck] It’s underneath the stairs. You only really need to press that if you’re having a deep bath. Well, put it on an hour before, Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got a deep bath. Yeah, well if you would, please, yes. [To Lynn] He’s gone to get Carol. You speak to her, you speak to her.
[Alan hands the phone back to Lynn. The cord is now wrapped around both their necks, tying their heads uncomfortably close together.]
Lynn: Hello, Carol, how are you?
[Alan makes a ‘get to the point’ hand gesture]
Lynn: Oh, er, Carol, would you like to be in Alan’s corporate video? Right. [To Alan] She says no and she wants to speak to you.
Alan: Tell her I’m not here.
Lynn: He’s not here. [To Alan] She says she can hear your voice.
Alan: Erm, call her a fat cow then hang up.
Lynn: Fat cow!
[Lynn slams the phone down. In doing so, she pulls her and Alan’s heads down towards the bed.]
Alan: Well done, Lynn. Now, before we get up, I’m just going to warn you, I have popped out again. It’s in no way connected with our proximity, so just don’t turn round.
[Alan untangles himself from the phone and adjusts his crotch.]
Alan: Right, the boys are back in the barracks! [Singing] Take a pinch of white man…[Walks off]
Sunday, April 4, 2010
london pictures, part three
london: day four, and oxford: days five and six. we spent another seriously busy day seeing westminster abbey, buckingham palace, wandering st. james' park, the museum of garden history, tate: britain and ended the day with a last-day-of-single-digits pre-birthday pizza dinner at zizzi's. the next morning...on gus' 10th birthday...we took the train to oxford to see his best friend george (and his mom, my dear friend, louise) and stay with them for a bit. we flew home, exhausted and missing england already, on day seven.
enjoy!
westminster abbey--seriously long wait to get inside on this day
beautiful architecture of the chapter house within
wonderful representations of animals throughout--this is the tiled floor of the chapter house
deer frescoed on the wall--it is amazing it has survived as well as it has
dromedary and kamel
gus in the cloisters of westminster. when we walked in the door we were greeted by several really eager docents who wanted to give gus the "kid's" version of westminster, which entailed his filling out a worksheet...a heavily detailed, four-paged worksheet. granted, we looked for things we probably would have otherwise missed in order to answer the questions, but for a kid with a touch of OCD this is not a good thing to have to do as we could not move on until each question was answered...
...however once he finished the worksheet he was rewarded with a giant hunk o' chocolate. (unfortunately, i was not rewarded with one as well.)
we raced over from westminster to buckingham palace for the changing of the guards
neat-o
gus in front of the royal gates--we looked everywhere for a guard to take a picture with, but never found one! i think i'm going to have to photoshop one into this shot at a later date.
st. james' park. beautiful. gus was actually at peace here, which was lovely. we ate lunch at a really tasty spot called inn the park.
gus made sure the ducks were fed, too.
shopping in london: anglican style
victoria tower gardens, along the thames
lovely little structure...
...with a non-functioning fountain
gus was pretty relaxed here, too
lovely boy emulating tower of house of parliament
gus dowsing with a dowser
lovely boy along the thames
we crossed the lambeth bridge to the museum of garden history--gus was totally a good sport for indulging me here
although this held some appeal in a good, creepy kind of way--this is one side of the monument to john tradescant, the man who brought numerous plant specimens back from the colonies to england to further botanical investigations and help spur the british passion for gardening
HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY GUS!!!
after that yummy breakfast we hopped a train to oxford to see...
...george!
and they were just as close as ever--nothing had changed and they were both thrilled to be together again. louise didn't tell george we were coming so we completely freaked him out (he thought he was missing school to go to the dentist until his mom stopped by the train station; he spotted gus straight away)!
george and louise at jamie oliver's italian restaurant in oxford (yum)
at which gus lost a tooth. a premolar, to be exact.
bouncing boys!
crazy bouncing boys!
seriously, some things just do not change (thankfully)
on the ride to the train station; we had to go back to london as we had an early flight out of heathrow the next morning. gus was mighty sad.
safety gus pulling a brave face for the flight home. i know he's ready to go back to england, like, yesterday (so am i). it was a phenomenal trip.
enjoy!
westminster abbey--seriously long wait to get inside on this day
beautiful architecture of the chapter house within
wonderful representations of animals throughout--this is the tiled floor of the chapter house
deer frescoed on the wall--it is amazing it has survived as well as it has
dromedary and kamel
gus in the cloisters of westminster. when we walked in the door we were greeted by several really eager docents who wanted to give gus the "kid's" version of westminster, which entailed his filling out a worksheet...a heavily detailed, four-paged worksheet. granted, we looked for things we probably would have otherwise missed in order to answer the questions, but for a kid with a touch of OCD this is not a good thing to have to do as we could not move on until each question was answered...
...however once he finished the worksheet he was rewarded with a giant hunk o' chocolate. (unfortunately, i was not rewarded with one as well.)
we raced over from westminster to buckingham palace for the changing of the guards
neat-o
gus in front of the royal gates--we looked everywhere for a guard to take a picture with, but never found one! i think i'm going to have to photoshop one into this shot at a later date.
st. james' park. beautiful. gus was actually at peace here, which was lovely. we ate lunch at a really tasty spot called inn the park.
gus made sure the ducks were fed, too.
shopping in london: anglican style
victoria tower gardens, along the thames
lovely little structure...
...with a non-functioning fountain
gus was pretty relaxed here, too
lovely boy emulating tower of house of parliament
gus dowsing with a dowser
lovely boy along the thames
we crossed the lambeth bridge to the museum of garden history--gus was totally a good sport for indulging me here
although this held some appeal in a good, creepy kind of way--this is one side of the monument to john tradescant, the man who brought numerous plant specimens back from the colonies to england to further botanical investigations and help spur the british passion for gardening
HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY GUS!!!
after that yummy breakfast we hopped a train to oxford to see...
...george!
and they were just as close as ever--nothing had changed and they were both thrilled to be together again. louise didn't tell george we were coming so we completely freaked him out (he thought he was missing school to go to the dentist until his mom stopped by the train station; he spotted gus straight away)!
george and louise at jamie oliver's italian restaurant in oxford (yum)
at which gus lost a tooth. a premolar, to be exact.
bouncing boys!
crazy bouncing boys!
seriously, some things just do not change (thankfully)
on the ride to the train station; we had to go back to london as we had an early flight out of heathrow the next morning. gus was mighty sad.
safety gus pulling a brave face for the flight home. i know he's ready to go back to england, like, yesterday (so am i). it was a phenomenal trip.
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