Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.

- Kurt Vonnegut

So, I've been chilling with my grandma a fair amount lately. I'm so lucky to be living in town with her -- I just wanna put her in my pocket. I'm trying to convince her to make my mom, me, my sister and herself matching dresses for Christmas. Can you even imagine? 3 generations, one dress - magic! So silly.

This WWII series on PBS gets me thinkin' - about her, me...and about...um, stuff.

Makes me wanna throw a clog at some heads!

Now, grandma says that we kids don't need to worry about our community when we have our careers to concern us -- but I look at what she and my grandpa did as far as community organizations and just general coaching of baseball teams and leading of girl scout troops (my grandma's a girl-scouting rockstar...I bet she still could make a whole meal from like, stuff gathered in the woods, and would think nothing of it) and I'm thinkin' she was being humble and wise, and perhaps a little unintentionally self-deprecating.

It all just makes the quest for the greatest moijito, the perfect quilted clutch and/or the StL bar that exudes "new york/chicago cool" (whatEVER that is!?!?!) seem just a little silly.

How anyone can see what's going on and not be inspired -- even if its just sending inspired good vibes locally?

Gotsta do good for grandma.

Makes me wondah

Some people are funny. I wish he'd do the second single - the one that rhymes "bed" with "dead" and whose video makes no sense at all, but seems to be some copycat of that one beastie boys video where they wear mustaches and act like cops. Lots of freeze frames, it was cool.

I found this lil' video courtesy of this gent - he lives in a town called New Orleans. He runs a little operation for which I have a great deal of respect. He's an operation running kindof guy, and I like his worldview. I think it is spot on.

I also like his operation's tshirts - though they seem to make people think I'm from New Orleans. Wouldn't be the first time, strangely enough. At school in Philly, everyone seemed to hear "New Orleans" when I said I was from "St. Louis." I'm thinking it was mostly b/c they were from the east coast and get the flyover cities mixed up - it happens. (I even got calls from friends --and seriously bless their hearts -- asking if I was ok after Katrina)

I, myself, know the difference between StL, and say, NOLA -- still, I know some similarities...feel'em at least. I think that's sortof funny, spooky, awesome... powerful, even -- this mississippi river valley connection -- and I'm not the only one drawing this conclusion.

StL, Memphis (where I learned to walk!), NOLA - we should talk.

There's a lot to talk about.


Now lets looks at a cat driving a car!!

Where the news comes first?

My cousin and I like to say that baby boomers are ruining our country. Ok, fine - so its not the actual baby boomers lets say - but whatever's goin' on in some of their minds is makin' me a little angry.

First, the whole 407 E. Argonne -- we hardly knew ye ballyhoo, and now -- Newschannel 5's shut down PubDef on youtube??!?! What is up with The Man, and why can't he not hate, but appreciate? Concerning this Channel 5 business, is it suspicious that this happens just as they're rolling out a new online video center ... or is it just me? I'm no conspiracy theorist and I really hate to be a drama nerd, but there are things that make ya go, "Hmmm" - and this is making me do just that. What is UP with the 4th estate these days?

Hmm.

To think I once memorized that cheezy christmas song they had in commercials as I dreamed of cameramen coming to my school so I could do the "5-1" hand signal!

Hmm!

So ----- humble a weapon as it may be -- certainly nothing compared to shutting down channel 5 news...a comparable rebuff -- it's letter/email time!

Here's the email I've sent to KSDK (and you can bet they'll be getting a stamped envelope with an actual, satisfactual paper letter copy, too! Snailmail represents, goodbye 41 cents.)


Subject: PubDef, Youtube and the news I trust(ed)

I just heard about your channel's part in the removal of the entirety of PUBDef.net's videos from YouTube.

Imagine how many viewers you could've gained to your programs if you'd partnered with Pub Def and given their meticulously local newsmaking a wider audience - paired with your station's reputation and corporate news know-how, what a match it could've been!

Imagine a dialogue complete with criticism as well as praise. Sounds like great news to me.

I'm saddened that instead you've chosen to remove the videos - pushing aside any hope of compromise or even creativity -- and completely shut down what could've been an incredibly rich, comprehensive and fascinating dialogue and really great news.

Would you rethink this? Could you? Have you? You'll have regained this once loyal viewer if you do. We're all better than this YouTube bullying -- especially when the action you've taken is to the detriment of actual, satisfactual NEWS --- news which I recall, comes first at KSKD.

I wish you'd think about what you're saying by not saying anything.

Sincerely,
Lori White

Hmm?

this valley girl gets political

I want to say I don't usually like to take sides much, but as much as I wanna say it - it ain't true! I love taking sides, and I've taken one. In the words of one of my hero's, Jonathan Antin of BravoTV's "BlowOut" -- "...and most importantly, he had perfect hair."




You'll look over to the right there and you'll see John Edwards, a man I'm hoping will be the anti-Clinton/Obama come primary time. Sure, if I think I know who you are, you probably know that my sister is working hard for Mr. JRE in Ottumwa, IA (did I tell you that I met a lady at Starbucks whose entire family was from Ottumwa!? It was zany.)--- but hey, I recently decided that I like Sen. Edwards just for him, and not due to the fact that he's feeding, health-caring, and otherwise keeping my baby sis busy up north. That's nice of him, though!

Basically, I'm tired of corporate politicians, or more specifically politicians run by machines that I don't like. John Edwards(with the possible addition of Biden) seems to be the only guy/gal in the race who's ready to stick it to the man, and who keeps it real.

So far, he's got my vote, whatever his haircut looks like.
Let's see what I can do to get him some more publicity here in the StL - I'm v. v. tired of hearing about Barack.

The Time I Almost Went to Joe's

Darn.

I almost made it to this speakeasy/band venue/? place last night called Joe's Corner. I got the name of the place from a shopowner in the city, and when I called the number to get the 411, I literally had to say, "Jim said to call."

It was about as close as I'll ever come to being a mobster, though there's nothing illegal about it. Maybe I'll come closer though...if I can do it without being a bad guy - I could be a mobster for good. Wait, there aren't girl mobsters are there? I'll think about it. I think some variant of Nancy Drew is as close as I'll get ... yay.

I think my buddy Adam's been there, as this shot leads me to suspect.



I'll do more investigation next thursday.
In the meantime, I'm hoping to hit Sandrinas/see if it exists still this weekend. It sounds old school, and the jukebox alone sounds amazing. You know how I love my jukeboxes. Especially MINE. It's so cool, but it won't mind if I see other jukeboxes - we have a very little jealousy in our relationship.

Cherokee - a friendly street

I did a little drivin' today, as I'm prone to do. Everyone knows when I say I'm running out to get like, a day planner for example, that means I'll be back in a couple hours, with the gas tank a little low.

So I went to Cherokee - I didn't have the energy to visit grouchy Jim of The Purple Cow...I'll have to be grouchy right back about him later, he's a cool guy, you should go see him...but I did finally get to APop records (a little pretentious, but what record store isn't? They didn't have any Smothers Brothers vinyl, so I left empty handed) and to the Black Bear Bakery. I got some fresh foccacia, some samples of the wheat bread, and a brief (as my parking meeter was running, and I only had 12 minutes) convo with the perhaps owner Greg. What a nice fella - used to live in the neighborhood as a kid, said it was really happenin, even then. For some reason I always thought that like, really OLD people were kids runnin' the streets of the then awesome, now blighted city streets, but this guy was barely older than my mom. What up with that? My timeline readjusted, I headed home. It's great to go places and really be able to interact w/ shopkeeps. I dig it.

I also did some interacting with the shoppers, too. It was mid-day wednesday, and the people on the street were out, and they were talkin' at me in that special way people on city streets talk to you, and it was great. I used to go to other areas of the city in high school, and as much as it bothered me then (and bothers me a bit now) -- when the catcalls disappeared in the Loop and in CWE, it seems something jumped the shark, for me at least.

Just a thought? More later.

Marc Broussard doesn't care what flowers mean

Seeing Marc Broussard at Mississippi Nights was a defining moment in my life. For real! His voice always makes me remember how important it is to just run with it. Be young, talented and importantly, be sure you know how funky life can be. I know, Marc!

Marc does justice to this Louisiana Soul vibe (while he still leaves it with a distinct Marc-ness) the way I'd like to do justice to the important things in my life. A lot of people would be afraid to tackle that genre, or lifestyle or position, or whatever. Not Marc, b/c he's got the love! He has come in from the cold, and he's invited me! Am I overreaching, turning Marc's musicality into a metaphor for life? Well, if I believe in the metaphor in the first place, then yeah I am, and in the words of Marc at his last concert, "Ya'll don't even know how funky this sh*t is!"

*This* being life, music, or whatever. (I just watched an Alan Watts short made by the south park animators that's all about dancing to the music of life... I'm annoying the practical cowboy in my brain with all this new wavey business...just listen to marc, and feel me out here)



I believe this is one of his originals (come on, new album, as much as I loved his collection of old soul classics) -- and if you'll allow me a moment of girliness, don't his biceps look really good?

You know what else I like about Marc Broussard? I think I heard somewhere that he promised his grandpa that he'd only write/perform/sing, etc... music that was positive about love/life/etc... no James Morisson "I know I've never bought you flowers - I can't work out what they mean." crap! Don't get me started on that song. You know that girl dumped his british patoot. You don't write a soul song about being afraid of love! It makes my mind explode a bit. Ah, I'm listening to him now and I wanna punch him in the face. Its love you idiot, and even though you seem to think it possible, girls don't like it when you call them from your heart, especially when you tell them, you're willing to "give them a try."
I'm sure, like she's a dinner special? Oh, the salisbury steak? Sure, I'll give it a try.
nooooooo.
See, look at me. A little e-mind explosion.

Marc doesn't care about knowing what flowers mean, and I respect that. You see what Mr. Broussard's voice'll do to a girl? Geez. Next thing you know, I'll be talking about Nick Cassavetes and The Notebook, and the power of believing in love.... so, I'll stop there -- but just for now.