#ThrowbackThursday: 2015

This is an old Joe Show webisode, the first one we did featuring a guest, in the form of one Ian Adams. I love this one, even with all the flubs and silliness!

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Get Yourself A Fairy Godmother

Today I talked with Sharon for nearly three hours. 

"AUNTIE Sharon" is what she'll say to that sentence. Yes, Aunt Sharon, in that she is one of Louie's little sisters (there's a load of other aunts). But Lou is my mother's husband, not my "bio dad" nor my "on paper" father at all, and regarding that fact, the Lombardi family (including those other five aunts) never let me forget it. Not for a day. Except for Sharon. Beautiful, sweet-smelling, musical and creative, Sharon was the first "grown woman" that I knew, besides my mom, that carried a kind of tanglible energy. I don't know if there's an English word for it, but it's like a light...it's a kind of light of love...it's a luminous energy that women know how to exude, and receive, and carry forward to other women. It happens when we hand someone a tampon in the ladies room, or when we catch each others' eyes across a crowded train whenever one of these guys starts acting up (y'all know what I'm saying.) It's how your friend takes your kids after school so you don't go insane if you hear "mom? mom? mom?" one more time, and how your sister-in-law instinctively knows you will take care of her baby. It is like a luminous energy river flowing. So when I was a little girl, Sharon is the first female person, who wasn't my mom, and in fact bore zero relation to me in any way at all, whose flow joined mine, wordlessly. She danced with us, she colored and drew pictures with us. She introduced me to music, art and books that I still own today. Even though I was just the deformed, unwashed little runt that Lou's latest "girl of the week" brought around the house, Sharon had my back, even though she was, actually, just a girl herself.  A teenager when her big brother knocked up my mother, who herself had been a teenager when she'd had me. They were all so young that it boggles the mind to consider what life was like? When Michael was born, Sharon became his cummari. That's pronounced "goomba" and it's Sicilian for "godmother." Michael called her Auntie Sharon. I called her Sharon ("AUNTIE!") but what she won't know until she reads this is that I thought of her as my godmother, too. Because her flow of strong energy was so tangible to me, I knew, if anything ever happened to my mom, Sharon would have taken care of me, too. The Lombardi family made sure I didn't forget I was not a blood relative, but the covenant of a woman's love has nothing to do with blood. Thank you, Sharon. ("AUNTIE.").  ⾎

You May Also Like: If It Ain't One Thing It's Your Mother

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That One Friend With No Chill

via me.me

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I Really Should Have Moved That Tee-Shirt First

So I was exchanging Christmas decoration photos and video with my friends, and this is what I sent, you guys. I snapped the pic, sent it to our chat, and then I saw the tee-shirt Joey got from his friend at work, draped on the chair right there. Doh!

🎅🎄🤶

 "Merry Christmas! Fuck off!"

 

 

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You Know What My Library Really Needs? Coffee.

Because this is gonna require coffee. 

I'm at the Honan-Allston Library again today, doing research for a possible new client. One of my favorite things about freelance work, even if it's only writing a simple Artist Statement for a graphic illustrator, is the prep work. Freelancers learn a lot about a wide range of subjects. That's why we're all such strange people. That's my theory, anyway. 🤓

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RIP Sondra Locke

You guys, Sondra Locke died. Sure, yeah, she was in all those Clint Eastwood movies and look what has happened to him. She did other stuff too. She directed and starred in Ratboy. Ratboy is the absolute 1986est thing you could ask for, and I mean that sincerely.

"Ratboy: It's so hard being different"

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#ThrowbackThursday: 2001

This #Throwback is so old! Diaryland entry from April 16, 2001

Just How Big We Talkin'? And How Easy?


I can't focus on work today. How the shit am I expected to focus on work today when tomorrow at this time I'll be in New Orleans, a whole city I've never visited and always lusted after? New Orleans. N'awlins. The Big Easy. With my fascination with death and penchant for the unexplainable things that lurk in the dark corners of the world, I am of course drawn to the history of the place, the "real" city that makes it unique from any other city. I don't want to see the stuff that's already been in syndication, in other words. It's kinda like when my distant friends come to Boston, and they immediately want to go drink at the Cheers bar while I want to take them to The Middle East for indie rock & falafel. The Cheers bar is crap. It was a bad show, they only shot the OUTSIDE of the bar, and nobody needs a T-shirt that might as well say "look how dumb I am, I actually gave somebody money for this shirt." 
(More...)

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Happy Birthday, Donny Osmond

Joe's got a certain level of respect for Donny Osmond.

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EIGHT DAYS A FREAK

RIP Michelle's Facebook Account (2008 - 2018)

Facebook self-disrupted in three ways in my opinion. So I'm out, at least for having a personal profile on the platform. At some point I'll likely create a #GenXReport Group or Page or whatever the new thing will be, by then. Because they keep changing the platform for no reason. But for a personal Facebook account, since December 1st, I am Deactivated.

#DeactivateFacebook

I went with Deactivate for now because that allows me to keep using Messenger. Simone told me that in October when we all spent the weekend together, and that's when I decided that it was finally time to get the hell outta there. Speaking of Simone: Always keep your friends who are way smarter than you are, thank you, Simone. Speaking of smart friends? Today Jenny messaged me with the video below. It is a musical number about the unfortunate devolution of Facebook. "This made me think of you,"Jenny wrote. "Love it," I replied. And I do.

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Thrift Stories: "And I Thought I Have Trouble Finishing Thi--" Edition

The funny thing about this barely-begun canvas I saw at the thrift store? I almost bought it...because I need something else to hoard in my studio? I pick up too much random shit thinking I'll make something cool out of it. I have too many things in my studio that I need to finish making, and too much writing left unfinished! I resisted the urge to get "Once Up..." but snapped this photo as a reminder: I have a book to finish! Or...um...start, really. ⚐

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New Holiday Tradition: Watching the Emmet Otter Outtakes Reel

"Who are they, ma?"

This is a reel of bloopers. It is very funny.

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#Throwback Thursday: 2008

Ten years ago this week! Seems like only a hundred years ago this week. (I'm so tired).

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HAPPY SAINT NICK'S FEAST DAY!

Y'all, it is the Feast Day of our only Klingon saint! Here's the deal...when I wrote the post titled "Smile When You Bless The Gagh!" in order to explain how I am sure that Santa is definitely a Klingon, I hadn't realized that many other me's agree! So here's an illustration by graphic artist Brandon Carr that pretty much nails it. Don't you just love it when you find your fellow travelers?

@brandonjcar

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Currently Reviewing Business Ideas Like

Underpants Gnomes

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Hold Your Antasy Draft Here

Cool cool cool cool cool. I din't have a single F left to give. In Allston Rock City extra F's just layin' on the ground here. Ⓕ

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"While you were sleeping..."

I woke up to this photo Joey took just before he left for work today. He texted that he wanted to show me how cute I am all snuggled up with my bear on cold mornings. 😴 I love him so much. If you can marry your best friend, I highly recommend it.💖

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Pandorable!

Pandora sent me an email. I like it, Pandora. Give a raise to the person who thought of this. I think I even like the toxic green & pink color scheme maybe.

I clicked the thing and Tweeted it, as suggested. But I had to change the auto-gen line. I'm not saying "Sharing is caring" for the love of all that doesn't suck. That's like "spring has sprung" and "it's all about the ________" and other such drivel. Like I'ma put my name on "sharing is caring, here's my Pandora station." What does it even mean. GOD I hate lazy writing so turkducken much.

And, yes I did guess my go-to station for November! There's one I put on quite a lot lately. I've been listening to a lot of electronic artists, older like Bill Laswell and a lot of guys like DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo, also Skalpel, Villain Accelerate, Prefuse 73. Joey bought a few of the albums that we discovered through this station. You should do that.

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This is how lucky I am

Joey brought me a second mug of his delightful French press coffee, but he wouldn't put it into my hands because it was so piping hot. He waited while I cleared a space on my messy desk, then he put down the coffee mug. "Did you not want me to burn my fingers?" I asked, "But what about YOUR fingers?"

"My fingers have callouses from playing," he said, kissing me on my head. "The heat doesn't bother me."

Awwww, what? That's like the most romantic thing I've ever heard. You guys. I love him so much.😍

DEC 1: WORLD AIDS DAY 

Total happenstance...I picked this photo of me 'n Joey and then realized this was snapped by Terence  Burke at a World AIDS Day charity concert in 2007. Eleven years ago tonight.

That was a great event. Our dear friend Trish had gone to Africa to work as a volunteer, and when she got back, the following year, Trish sought out Low Budget Superhero for help organizing a fundraiser. I was happy to do it. I gathered a small but energized team, booked the venue (Harpers Ferry) and called some stellar bands (Ramona Silver, John Powhida International Airport, Specimen 37). We called around and got cool raffle prizes donated, other event promoters like me (Sue and Anderson) came to help, and all my people at newspapers promoted the event, as did the club. Trish herself, despite being a little nervous, told her story. Together we put on this wonderful World AIDS Day event to raise money for the kids Trish had met on her mission. I think we raised some good cash for the charity. Trish is amazing, right? I think of her every December 1st, honored to have helped with her wonderful event. 💞

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