But Enough About Me; What Did YOU Think Of My Performance?
So, finally got my hands on a VHS copy of the "Small Spaces, Big Style" ep, and had a chance to watch it last night. Frankly, it's about what I was told to expect, what with nearly four hours of shot footage edited and compressed down into a four and a half-minute segment.
All-in-all, I think it was a pretty accurate depiction of my "retro-futuristic bachelor pad", although they did miss a couple of key elements. For example, I don't in fact, own the space, I just rent. During the section depicting the bathroom, the interior designer mentions that you can also add things like river rocks to floor space where you don't walk to add a "spa feel"; if the shot had panned down to the floor, you would have seen that I've done exactly that, using tropical accoutrements such as coconut & conch shells. Also, on the website, it notes that the spice containers on the stove hood are attached using Velcro; in fact, they have magnetic pads. Finally, I was hoping they'd provide some explanation for my wild use of color in the kitchen area, but it would have been very similar to comments made in the preceding segment, so perhaps they were trying to avoid presenting the audience with what might have been perceived as redundant information. In any event, these are relatively minor quibbles.
I thought it was interesting, almost ironic, that all the other homes in the segment were owned by people in the interior design industry. I would have liked it if they had mentioned my own artistic background, as I think it would have provided a bit more context as to the origins of this crazy-collectibles environment. Still, it's a teensy bit flattering that they felt my space was even worthy of comparison (although perhaps contrast was more the intent) to domiciles created by people who do this for a living.
So, I guess technically, according to "Warhol's Axiom", I still have exactly ten and a-half minutes of fame left "in the bank".
Well, I know at least a few of you took time out of your busy weekend schedules to watch the Sunday afternoon episode of HGTV's "Small Spaces, Big Style" featuring my "cool kitschy" apartment, and special thanks to those of you who commented and/or made video tapes! I've still yet to see the ep, so I can't personally speak to the finished product - look for the "bonus commentary track" soon.
Turns out there are a couple of snaps up on the show's website of the kitchen (not the best viewing angle, but they do mention some of the unique design features), and the bathroom.
So, if you've a mind to hang out in a now nationally recognized "cool place" (and given the heat-wave this week, that's doubly accurate!), give me a ring.
And If The Wind Is Right You Can Sail Away And Find Tranquility
Okay, let's take a wee respite from the usual daily deluge of war, famine, pestilence, economic chaos, political corruption, ecological disaster, and have a little moment of serenity:
Take a deep breath...
Hold it...
Now, let it out - slowly.
Feel better? I sure do.
Now that we have that out of the way, I have to say, those eggheads in the "reality-based community" really may be onto something with this whole "Global Warming" thing; three straight days (with a fourth day in the works) of plus-90 degree heat in mid-July is NOT normal for this part of the country. Yes, I understand others have it even worse, what with blackouts in NYC, insufferable humidity in the South and Northeast, forest fires in the Southwest, etc., etc., but for us, this is the equivalent. It's just not something with which we have adequate coping skills; hardly anyone has home air-conditioning, for example; and there's a good reason why Seattle leads the nation in sales of sunglasses - namely, because we're always losing them through general lack of need, which severely diminishes their status as a permanent fashion accessory.
Fortunately, the one thing we are blessed with up here is proximity to large, cool, reasonably clean bodies of water. And based on my observations this past weekend, it appears a significant portion of the population was taking advantage of these geographic amenities. Lake Union for instance was crowded as all get-out yesterday. During the afternoon, at least two boat races were in progress, which certainly must have presented challenges to the crews, what with the over abundance of other water-denizens: scores of kayakers, canoeists, day sailers, powerboaters, inner-tubers, swimmers, splashers, and one former resident of Malibu paddling around on a surfboard. The float plane pilots must similarly have had their take-off and landing skills tested to the max. And then there was the wedding that took place in the middle of the lake aboard the venerable Virginia V. Seriously, if it had been any more crowded, people could have just walked from one side of the lake to the other by hopping from boat-to-boat, like an aprezDuck Dodge raft-up.
At this rate, assuming the eggheads are correct, and that this massive climatic adjustment isn't just some sort of environmental bugbear, as some people would have us believe, then I figure in about 30 or 40 years the Pacific Northwest may very well lay claim to the title of "The Cote d' Azure of North America". We've certainly already got plenty of luxury yachts, plus our own international film festival, so all we'd really need would be a few swanky casinos (sorry Emerald Queen), and perhaps a neighboring principality, just to give us that frisson of aristocratic respectability that the Jet-Setters admire so.
Hm, maybe we should start working on that petitition drive to get Medina to secede from the Union. I'll bet I know a couple of people who might sign that.
Sorry, didn't mention this sooner, but looks like my slot on "Small Space, Big Style" was bumped to next week. Should be on Sunday the 23rd, 4:00 p.m. in all time zones, on HGTV. My slot is the "Seattle Cool Kitsch" segment.
You-all will probably see it before I do. Hope it turned out okay.
The Annual Cascade Kombis Vintage VW Meet & Swap takes place tomorrow at Shoreline Community College, followed by the NW VW Club's 33rd Annual "Bug In" on Sunday at Magnuson Park.
Then, as I said next weekend it's my turn on the grills at 14/48, followed by a staged reading for Annex Theatre on Tuesday, then The Capitol Hill Block Party on the 28th & 29th, and ending the month with the Annex Garage Sale on the 30th.
That ought to be enough to keep me busy and out of trouble for a while.
The Girl For Me Is Standing There That's The One, Flowers In Her Hair
Waiting in the endless line of aprez 4th of July celebrants somewhere on 40th, having scooted half way around Lake Union to avoid the unavoidable traffic jams coming away from the fireworks, a young woman, roughly mid-20's, tall, with auburn hair (I think - it was rather dark) approaches me from the sidewalk and hands me a daisy.
"I picked this just for you," she says,
"That was very sweet of you," I reply, momentarily taken aback by the unabashed impulsiveness of the gesture.
She skips back to her friends and continues down the sidewalk. Our interaction took no more than 10 seconds.
I put the daisy through the open face of my helmet, approximately over my right ear and continue to wait in the traffic. By the time I start to move again, she's lost in the darkness, amongst the headlights and throngs of people surging up from Gasworks and the north end of the lake.
It wasn't until I'd finally cleared the traffic jam and had a clear path home that I realized, she HAD in fact picked this daisy just for me - even though, at the time, she hadn't known to whom she'd give it.
I guess, for a brief moment, in someone else's eyes, that made me special.
I see by the ole' hit-counter that I'm approaching my ten thousandth visitor to Chez Website. I suppose in Internet terms that's a paltry sum, but for me, it's a milestone. So, if you happen to see the magic number in the margin when next you visit, take a screen shot and email it to me. No fabulous prizes guaranteed, but I promise my undying gratitude for spending some of your valuable time here.
My incredibly talented friends in the band "Awesome", about whom you've read hossanahs from me previously, played a set last night as a fundraiser for Open Circe Theatre, a local fringe outfit where the group did there first gig a number of years ago.
Last night's show was so successful, they've added a second performance - TONIGHT - 8:00 p.m. Call, 206-382-4250. If you lurve OC's eclectic brand of performance, this is a great way to show your support. If you luuuuuve "Awesome"'s awesomeness, you don't want to miss this, especially if you weren't able to make it in last night. If you've never seen them before, this is an excellent opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. Last night's show sold out, so call now!
Also, exploiting the Basil Harris connection between the two, don't forget to check out the first episode of the new season of "Cherub" featuring the aforesaid Mr. Harris (just returned from Honeymoonland with his equally fetching bride, the lovely and extremely organized Ms. Ida) as the vampire-with-a-soul forced to wear cursed bunny slippers. "This Week's Episode: Not So Mildly-Irritating Fu".
Finally, the Ida connection links to wishing a slightly belated "Happy Birthday" to Annex Theatre, the scrappiest little fringe theatre in existence, celebrating 20 - count 'em! - 20 years of making the impossible look easy. Next year, we'll buy you a drink.
