Mighty Bob

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Most Amazing Wallpaper – detail 2, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

The French ’75 was a house drink at my New Years’ Eve Party, thanks to Karen L.  I’ve also enjoyed the Manhattan, Martini, Scotch Sour (aka Whiskey Sour), and Brandy Alexander.  I will be whipping up Banana Cows and Ann Sheridans by the end of the week for the cocktail hour celebrating my sofa’s debut.

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Most Amazing Wallpaper – detail 1, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

Needless to say I’ve had the Manhattan, Martini, “Marguerita,” and Bloody Mary.  (I have especially fond memories of the Bloody Marys at The Green Mill and at The Twisted Spoke.)  I know I’ve had a Bronx and a Sidecar though I can’t remember them.  Of course Fish House Punch has become the designated poison at my Groundhog’s Day parties.  The rest I will have to give a whirl.  Give me a call if you’re in for a spin.

P.S.  Too bad the Sazerac did not make the cut on this wallpaper.  A fine drink if ever there was one.  And a nifty thing to do with rye if you don’t otherwise care for rye.

For those of you who aren’t already aware that we live in the Age of Longevity, I present to you two startling facts: Kate Pierson (the red one in The B-52′s) is 60 (60!!!!) in a couple of weeks (I had a real crush on her as recently as high school) and Ronnie James Dio (i.e. God’s Throat – I have a real crush on him Right Now) is 65!!! WTF?!? And both have work in progress (sadly, not with each other), and sound, if not As Great as Ever, then at least As Good as Ever. Will tomorrow’s nanotech allow them both (and B-52 colleague Cindy Wilson, whom I imagine to be the superior vocalist, but who is a mere, no-longer-startling-for-rock, 51 years old) to sound (or look?!?!) as good as they did when they were 29?! And, if yes, then how good will I look?

If they don’t together convince you of the Wonderful-ness that will be The Singularity, then just imagine a near future where the average librarian can live for 1000 years, and in his spare time, can revive clones of William Howard Taft and Gene Kelly, and throw them a dinner party with his favorite (strange, unique, talented, freaky) rock stars like Dio and Pierson? Oh, and where the steak tartar and escargot are prepared by a cute robot? Because even though Taft and Kelly clones won’t have any memories of their originals’ lifetimes, one will still be able to dance, and the other will still be get stuck in bathtubs.  Hooray, The Future!!!!

The kind of band that solves mysteries

I can’t play a single instrument, but I’m pretty good at coming up with Big Ideas, and my latest is to form a band, the kind that goes around solving mysteries. We would need to write one or two songs about groovy times and what it’s like to be in love, then the rest of our set/album would present some (scripted) stage banter setting up our characters and a mystery, some sound effects and incidental music, a couple songs that thicken the plot, maybe a chase scene, and then a totally rockin’ rock song about solving the mystery. Ideal bandmates include people who can dress like a teenager of the mid-to-late 60s, the 70s, or 90s grunge, esp. if you know how to play an instrument, and people who are good at writing dialog or doing different voices. Sorry, but if you want to look like a teenager of the 80s you HAVE to be able to play casio keyboards or key-tar, no exceptions. TALKING DOGS ESPECIALLY WELCOME!@1

• Location: Uptown/Chicago
• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

I has a fort!!1, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

Or, My Fort: Let Me Shows You It!

Right now there is enough space to crawl in there and curl up, but not enough space to sit upright, or turnaround. However it should be pretty easy to get in there, dig up and north, and make enough sitting room for two. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I would like a hand. When you’re in there hollowing out space, you have nowhere to push the snow but toward the doorway, where you quickly block yourself in. I could use the help of someone standing with a broom and shovel taking care of snow removal. Any takers? Saturday night after 6 or anytime Sunday would be ideal.

UPDATE: The landlord came by and smashed it. He must have been worried about “liability,” “safety,” or possibly “Yeti.” Sux. 

UPDATE II: Others will carry on my work. 

I’ve had this extra 36 hole unicycle hub sitting around my spare parts bag for a couple of years now (ever since a Rat Patrol project went awry). A really big part of me wants to buy a 36″ rim and 36 spokes and actually build out a big fixed wheel that could be the basis for a home-made pennyfarthing (“highwheel”) bike. I figure I’ll use bamboo for the frame – I think I have an idea for cutting and splicing it into a slow curve using glue, metal fasteners, and, if necessary, foam core). The only thing stopping me (besides the fact that I never get any of my Crazy Schemes started) is that for probably less than the price of the rim, the spokes, the forks, the bearings, the headset, the bamboo, and the rear wheel, I could probably just buy a $900 boneshaker reproduction, and save myself the frustration of doing everything wrong.

On the other hand, if I wussed out and bought the reproduction, I’d still have this 36 hole unicycle hub sitting around the spare parts bag. And what else could I do with it?

Christmas wish list:
Sleepy Bear Pajamas / Chicago Cubs Pajamas
Handheld Singer Sewing Machine
Orange Reflective Safety Vest http://www.safetyplus.net/product/1023/
Chicago Municipal Flag http://www.usflagdepot.com/store/page2.html
Any Lambchop CD
26″ or 28″ Unicycle Wheel, fork
Oriental bedspread (full size) http://www.fairtradequilts.com
Food processor
Peace, good will to man
Modern art

I would like to retrofit a player piano or other sheet roll music playing machine to project synchronized filmstrips of an original format – say 80mm. Projection speed will probably run about .5 – 1 fps, so it will look more like a slideshow than a movie, but it will still be cooler than anything else ever.

My book of music essays will be entitled Tammy Wynnette vs. Loretta Lynn.

(Spoiler alert: Tammy wins.)