Friday, January 23, 2009

I'm number one.

i win!

Guess I'd better keep up the blog if I expect to keep my number one position (much love to Lori White, Inspirtational Speaker, Singer Humorist...I seriously have GOT to catch one of your shows soon.) I've got a little different perspective happening of late, may end up rather interesting.

Plenty going on as I find myself far far from the Mississippi river valley, sigh.
Updates soon as something update-worthy happens!

Until then, there's always twitter.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

This picture makes me so happy

:)

Fresh Paint was powerfully awesome.

Are you there Jane Jacobs?

It's me, Lori.I'm not usually one to lament, and maybe it's the full moon... but all these pictures of the old stl riverfront/french quarter (as much as the Arch is pretty much amazing) makes me think of singing a different tune for just a little bit. Look at all the places you could walk!

hat tip to dotage

Friday, January 09, 2009

PubDef on twitter

Why are more people not following him?
His live-tweeting of the alderman meeting going on RIGHT NOW is pretty much amazing.



May be preaching to the choir here, but give him a look on the Twitter, and go to pubdef.net if you haven't already.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Interviews comin' up

So I've always been really into (in case you haven't noticed...ahem) the mythical, imminent convergence of the great cities along the mississippi into a "mega region." It's gonna happen in the next 5 years, just wait.

So, now I get to talk to people about it. This is truly wonderful. First up, the venerable Chris Schultz of New Orleans' Voodoo Ventures. He recently posted about a tipping point that's been happening in Louisiana ...

I was having the conversation on Friday night about if we are getting close to a tipping point here in New Orleans and in Louisiana with regards to technology and startup culture. As I’ve been talking about for a while, we need an ecosystem. Entrepreneurs need to know one-another and they need to know whats going on. We need organizations and a government that support startups. Its happening right now.

Don't ya think that's interesting? I'll be sending him questions soon (and posting them soon-ish), so if you've got some questions about startups, technology, social media, gumbo or humidity (or perhaps you'd like to discuss the better merits of dixieland trombone, or the best way to have a crawfish boil...or maybe you'd like to ask him just what it DOES mean to miss new orleans.) ...he may have some insight for ya.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing different kinds of people hang out in real life, thus my enthusiasm for barcamps, coworking, and bar-hopping -- reminds me...were you at the record spin? b/c yeah, it was like that, so maybe you should've COME! ---so hey, the time is now for this site to be a place for me to bring all the people that I think should meet -- in REAL life -- to meet in the almost real life of the Mississippi River Valley Girl blog.

I've emailed Dick Fleming of the The St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA)-- so here's hoping he takes a break from his busy remarkably connecting and pod-casting schedule to answer some questions, too.

Stay posted. Send questions! Send suggestions. It's Fine in '09!

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Top 5 People who have changed my life through dance

So for a while there I was in a musical (High Fidelity, the musical, to be exact), and I blogged about it. In an effort to share all that subjective goodness, I'm going to re-post some of those old posts here. Just b/c I read them recently, and hey, they're relevant. Be warned. It's youtube time.

Straight from June 21st, 2008...the Top 5 People who have changed my life through Dance

…in no particular order.

1. Paula Abdul


2. Robin Berger of Leaping Lizards Dance Studio

3. Britney Spears
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ps it is a BLESSING that such as site as The Briney Vault exists.

4. Fatima Robinson (choreographer of Dreamgirls)


5. Frankie Manning (old school lindy hopper from the 30’s I met when I was 16 at the CASA LOMA BALLROOM)


also...



DUH.

Don't get me started, there's more youtube out there. I will refrain.

Petition Will Ask City to Cede Land for Homeless Camp

From the RFT -- St. Louis - Stlog - Petition Will Ask City to Cede Land for Homeless Camp


Adding flame to the (inside my head) fire that St. Louis is really like the Village in the 80's. Doubt me? Check in to the film 200 Cigarettes (especially when they're "past avenue B") and/or the part of RENT where everyone's protesting to keep "Tent City" ... indulge me briefly.
Benny, that attitude toward the homeless is exactly what
Maureen is protesting. Maureen is protesting losing her
performance space, not my attitude.

CIose-up: Benjamin Coffin III.
Our ex-roommate who married Allison Grey
of the Westport Greys. His father-in-law bought
severaI buildings on the block and a nearby vacant Iot,
home to Tent City.


I'm not a RENT head, and I'm not trying to torture you via outdated musical theatre and odd parallel worlds...but think about this. Substitute some words and what have you got? If you're a friend or a rando reader (which means you're a friend, sorta!)...let me know what you think. Blythe? Weigh in! Is STL just NYC but 25 years ago? What's that mean?

Also like, check old newspapers about NYC in the 80s (when it was "scary") and valid sources and whatnot b/c that's *maybe* better than a movie only you and your High School friends watch and a musical.

I'm right, though.

Monday, January 05, 2009

iTap in the Gumbo Flats*

500-beer bar coming to Chesterfield Valley | Off the Menu | STLtoday:

"Just got a very interesting note from the PR person for Brad Lobdell, who intends to open a bar called the International Tap House at the corner of Edison and Long roads in the Chesterfield Valley by the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Some tidbits about the place:
# Serves no food, but patrons can order from three other menus from nearby restaurants.
# Serves every beer in its proper glass (flute, tulip, pint, mug, pilsner, etc.)
# Non-smoking.
# Drink-in or carryout.
# 40 of the 500 beers are on draught.
# The place will go by iTap for short.

More as I learn it."


Oh, now that doesn't sound obnoxious AT ALL.

EDIT July 19th, 2009: Hey, if you live in Chesterfield, you should of course go to iTap! Business is good when business is business. I just wish I could hear about businesses like these opening up in lovely, walk-to-it-able downtown St. Louis neighborhoods. That's all.

*more on the gumbo flats

Printer's Row

I remember one of the things I loved in Philly was that the districts/rows were actually districts...i.e. fabric row actually had loads of awesome mom&pop fabric stores (and I could walk to them/publicly transport myself to them)...now, fabric row i remember in particular --- probably because it contributed to my She-Ra costume and was just south of South street and just north of South Philly (& the awesome italian market).

Which is why I sortof love that Cherokee street is becoming Printers Row. It's charming, it's old school, and I like it. Imagine every old business district in town having a commerce niche. IMAGINE IT! It will be great. Imagine the college kids taking the bus to this row or that row to shop b/c it's clear, and they know what they'll find there and might even wander the neighborhood and buy more things...not like it's never happened. Never in my wildest would i have thought, hey, printing presses will be the start. But life is strange sometimes.


Just found out about Sleepy Kitty (moved on down from Chicago to better weather and better people...oh snap!) via SauceMag's "Sip of the Hip" --- hoping this type of commerce never ever reaches critical mass.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

St. Louis - A Place for Entrepreurs and Investors

Hm.


St. Louis - A Place for Entrepreurs and Investors* from lori white on Vimeo.

Made by Invest Midwest, and found (along with a long list of Venture Capital firms in St. Louis ...actually they're mostly in Clayton... via the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. So many old white guy networks, SO LITTLE INTERNET!)

UPDATE: The whole video's up. If you can sit through it.

Lijit Search

MRV Girl
Creative Commons .
Go crazy, people - but be kind. :)