adieu...adios...see ya

time to pack up and go. getting on the blog boat and finding a new home...where? there!


everyone in? well, let's go!



hope everyone used the bathroom before...coz we ain't turnin' back!

scream no...

more. it has been found. after two years of frantic searching, norwegian authorities have finally recovered Edvard Munch's two masterpieces, "The Scream," and "The Madonna" (but Cindi, is it the one with the big b**bies?). they were taken from Oslo's Munch Museum by masked gunmen, in broad daylight, in august 2004...pretty brash, if you ask me.

you wonder about the value of some paintings after they've gained some notoriety. take, for example, anything that van gogh rendered. when he was alive, vincent was viewed as merely a destitute Post-Impressionist Dutch artist who could have challenged mike tyson for the title of the "World's Greatest Ear Severer." the man died penniless at the age of 37...a hundred years later, his paintings go for tens of millions of dollars. of course, once people found out that van gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear lobe, wrapped it in newspaper, and gave it to a prostitute - he was deemed cool. and boom, everyone wanted his stuff for notebooks, posters, and post cards...so much that, in 1987, his "Irises" painting (see pic) went for a then-record auction price of $49 million. three years later, his painting, "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" commanded an astounding $82 million ($116 million in today's dollars). who knew? it's just sad that he couldn't reap any of these riches when he was alive...mebbe vince should've been a rock star instead. he was just born at the wrong time...

just recently, Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" sold for $135 million at auction. tell me, just who has that kind of money? i'll admit there are some wonderful Maya vessels and sculptures that i'd kill to have...but that's just a wild pipe dream. i guess it's all about investing. perhaps the Klimt, et al, will rise in value to even the $200 million heights...but will they ever reach the level of this lady...whose portrait is valued at $670 million dollars. sheesh. surely, that crooked smile could've easily been fixed for $10 million less ;) you KNOW Leonardo is gnashing his teeth right now!

take a wha???

hospital mebbe?

i went to the Cricket Store in Aurora to redeem a $25 coupon today. after 4+ years of their service, i got a little break. so after my acupuncturist appointment today, i headed out there.

as any other wireless store, it's in a strip mall. however, unlike the little store that i got my phone, you have to take a number and wait for it to be called by an automated voice. it was so...motor vehicle bureau. i was ready to take an eye test when i got up to the window.

totally weird.

the store even had a security guard(?!?)...strolling around...and telling newly arrived customers to take a number. have i missed something? since when is there security for cell phone re-sellers? is there copper wire in the phones that makes it so lucrative to steal?

have any of you experienced this at your wireless store? oh well. twenty-five bucks of next month's bill is still a nice gesture, even if redeeming it is like a lost Twilight Zone episode...

you...

might just make it after allllllllll. yep. we've been watching the first season of this show. somehow, it's not as hilarious as when i watched it as a kid...and the issues are certainly dated, but it is SO cool looking at the clothing and decor...very much an anthropological study of mainstream american culture in the 70's. correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't still hold the Emmy record of 29 wins for any series (comedy or drama)?



argh. the knee is still bothering me. after a week of icing it and two acupuncture sessions w/ needles and moxa heat, the edema has finally diminished 70-80%. i know my volleyball season is over :( i just hope my playing days aren't. isn't it funny how you inject all these silly ideas into your head and tirelessly replay worst case scenarios in your mind...only to find out all your so- called overreactions were, in fact, justified? i hope i'm wrong in all of this because i dread any sort of surgery. nevertheless, if it's necessary...what can you do?

save lio...

remember when i mentioned the new comic strip i had been reading in june? yeah...Lío. it's the second strip drawn my mark tatulli, who is known for Heart of the City.

well, right after posting about discovering Lío, i wrote to mr. tatulli, telling him how much i enjoyed the slightly twisted nature of his mischievous genius character.

recently, i received this email reply:

Dear Spencer...

First off, thanks for your kind words about LIO! I'm trying to bring something new and different to the comic pages, and I'm thrilled that there's actually people who "get it."

That said, LIO needs your help! Two newspapers are running polls to see if they should keep or drop LIO from the paper! As much as I hate these things, editors today seem to rely heavily on them, and since LIO is a new strip, it is always the first on the chopping block!

So please go to this site to vote for LIO (scroll to bottom to vote) at the Daily American:

http://www.dailyamerican.com/comics/comics.html

Also, to vote for LIO in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, send an email to the editor at this address:

comics_survey@pioneerpress.com

You can vote at this one once a day, so please send as many emails as you can! They say to vote for one to keep and one to drop...here is the list of comics:

Non Sequitur
Fred Basset
Mutts
Lio
Piranha Club
Dog Eat Doug
Sylvia
Red and Rover
Candorville

So please PLEASE help LIO out! I need all the help I can get to keep something new and original in the funny pages! And please tell your friends! Spread the word!

Thanks in advance for your support!

Mark Tatulli
LIO



so...vote if you can. gotta keep the creative ones alive...

scissors...

beats the shit out of paper. here's a clip from a japanese tv show where rochambeau (called Janken in japan) is taken to new heights in violence...

wha???

google has some really weird ads. since i posted about the funeral i attended ten days ago, there are three links to sympathy gifts, one to a memorial tree, and another to funeral ring tones.

wtf?!? funeral ring tones...okayyyyy

this household is in a lotta pain right now; we are ice pack maniacs. yesterday, i took lois to bunion surgery. that makes SEVEN surgeries in the last two years: two for cataract, four for detached retina, and this one. we got there about 8:20 and left at 1:50. good thing is the vicodin is keeping the brain occupied...the bad thing is she'll be wearing that cumbersome boot for eight weeks.

and while i've never had surgery myself (sound of knocking), i may be looking at some if my right knee doesn't get better. at the moment, i can't even straighten it out due to the pain and swelling. i'm just hoping that both are due to cartilage wear...which would only mean arthritis and a possible knee replacement down the road...gee, fun! however, if the swelling doesn't subside, i'll go to the doctor and get scoped if needed.

sigh

of course, i'll get my first opinion today at my acupuncturist's office. no, my acupuncturist will only needle me for the pain and swelling...it's her (orthopedic surgeon) husband who will give me a diagnosis.

ain't denial great?

puh-leeze...

some groups just have WAY too much time on their hands. tom & jerry?!? you have GOT to be kidding!

well, i'm off to get a haircut. i am one shaggy mofo. i even shaved so we can go to a suprise b-day party at gwen & jeff's. i hope wanda hasn't found out yet...

anyway, we just got her a bottle of portuguese wine and used a really cute wine bottle cover that we found at BigLots last year for $.75 (usually go for three bux). the cover is based on a chinese dress called a 'cheong sam' (chohng sahm'). my mom has one just like this from the 60's. still fits too.

and THAT'S what i'm doing today...woohoo

argh, my knees are KILLIN' me...