Perfect Gift

Peggi skiing in woods on her birthday
Peggi skiing in woods on her birthday

Peggi described today’s snowstorm as the perfect gift for her birthday. The trees were so laden with snow that we could not make out the trail. It was a little sticky especially if you stood still for a few minutes but it was exceptionally beautiful.

454 5300. Thank god today was the last day of the WXXI pledge drive. Don’t you think the local PBS station would be more successful if they kept Norm Silverstein off the air? I know he’s the president but where in the world did he pick up that affectation?

We had dinner at Rooney’s in Swillburg. The place has been around forever and if it wasn’t so expensive it would be mobbed. Maybe the economy will come back. We were some of the only diners there tonight. They had quite a few cancelations with all the “No unnecessary driving” orders. Celebrating Peggi’s Bday was a necessity and the food was fantastic.

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No Nothings

Rochester Rhinos vs. Miami FC 2010
Rochester Rhinos vs. Miami FC 2010

We watched the Rhinos beat Miami 3-2 and take first place in the USSF Division 2 but Miami looked like the better team. They passed like pros and hustled like high school kids. The Rhinos, who all seemed about foot taller than the Miami players, held their positions like American footballers and continually poked the long ball through and crossed their fingers. Miami couldn’t manage to get through the Rhinos muscular defense for the goal but they played a much prettier game. And that’s all that counts in my book.

I drove over to Home Depot this morning to pick up some white paint for the walls inside our garage. Bob Smith was interviewing U of R religion professor Emil Homerin and Judaic Studies professor Nora Rubel about the (what else?) lower Manhattan Islamic center. Bob mentioned the “Know Nothing” party and I was trying to imagine whether the people in that party refereed to themselves that way or was it a taunt by the opposition. A guy called in and took offense at the panel implying that Republicans were racist just because they opposed the “mosque”. Bob then mentioned some prominent Democrats running for reelection who also opposed the construction. The “Know-Nothing” movement originated in New York in 1843 as the “American Republican Party” and feared that the country was being overwhelmed by Catholic immigrants. Maybe Bob was talking about the current day, “No Nothing” party.

I went through the self check out at Home Depot. I opted to do my transaction in English, scanned the paint can and then I got hung up trying to pry one of the plastic bags open. I had bags all over the place I was about to put the free wooded paint stir stick into one of the bags when the automated voice said, “Unexpected item in the bagging area. Remove this item before continuing.” I removed the stir stick and the recording continued. I flagged down an orange suited employee and she magically fixed the situation.

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Four Minutes To Fidget

Leo fixes our ceramic fish
Leo fixes our ceramic fish

Peggi was trying to bust the screen open in our kitchen and she knocked our ceramic fish off the widow ledge. We bought it at the Clothesline Show a long time ago and we never found a place to hang it in our new crib. Funny thing is the fish came from one of the nearby ponds that we walk and ski around. A tag on the back of it reads, “The mold for this fish was made by a Perch caught by Joe Lake in a pond of Durand Eastman Park in Rochester, NY in 1993.”

Rick Simpson suggested that we take the pieces over to our neighbor, Leo, who excels in glue applications. Leo chose a two part epoxy that looks black when it hardens. We tried holding the pieces together with nails, our hands and duct tape. We had four minutes to fidget. The seam is pretty visible but it is a whole again.

I sat down to talk to Sue Rogers at last Wednesday’s Margaret Explosion gig and I remember fidgeting with Scott Regan’s pens while we talked. Well, I found the pen in my pocket the next day. I’m bad. I will return it.

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Going For It

Stella in the sun
Stella in the sun

There was a new Crimestoppers page in the paper yesterday morning. I have it next to my scanner and I plan on scanning it so I can enlarge the pictures. I am getting much more comfortable with backing up and getting some distance between my eyes and my paintings. I need larger source material because I’m finding that I would like to see it and the piece I’m working on at the same time and both from a distance. I use to hold the small pictures in my hand and then turn to the canvas to paint. I resisted backing up because I was afraid of what I might see. I could only take so much.

Lately I’ve been drawing and painting with chalk (or a brush) taped to the end of a yardstick so I can maintain some distance and this is really helping. I am much less likely to get a great looking eye in the way wrong location. I wish I could get a hold of some bigger versions of these mug shots. They are only an inch and a half high in the newspaper and that’s with a 65 line screen and sloppy 4-color registration. They don’t get any better when I blow them up. Maybe I can talk the Sherriff’s Department into letting 4D do the Crimestoppers website so I can access to the original files.

We stopped in to see AMP at the Little last night and Sue Rogers came over to out table to tell me that there was a really interesting face on the Crimestopper page in the morning paper. She encouraged me to “go for it” in capturing the defiant expression on this one dude’s face. I’m not sure which one caught her eye but I really appreciate her enthusiasm.

We are taking care of two cats on our street while their owners are away. We visited both this afternoon There’s Dietrick at one end of the street and Puddles at the other. Maybe tomorrow I will photograph both for the Refrigerator.

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Jungle Extraordinaire

Leo Dodd painting of Magaret Explosion on WXXI TV
Leo Dodd painting of Magaret Explosion on WXXI TV

Like most people in my painting class my father works on a number of paintings at the same time.  We work paintings up to the point where we could use some feedback from the maestro and then set them aside before continuing. This one of Margaret Explosion is not done but it is getting close. My father based the painting on a photo he took off the tv when WXXI broadcast the Margaret Explosion episode of “On Stage.”

I stopped by to see Bob Martin yesterday in his second floor suite at Bob Martin Associates. He was working on one computer and uploading the Margaret Explosion WXXI video tracks to YouTube on another. I previewed them on our iTouch this morning when I got up. Some of the songs had zero plays when I checked in.

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Magic Carpet

Margaret Explosion watercolor by Leo Dodd
Margaret Explosion watercolor by Leo Dodd

I’m sitting over at Jerome’s Ignition while Igor looks at our car. It’s been making a clunking noise in the front end. This is already sounding like a Click and Clack episode. We are planning to drive to New York soon to see the Marlene Dumas show at the Modern and we are a little concerned about the thump. Igor didn’t see anything so he took it for a spin. When he got back he noticed that the lug nuts on our left front tire were loose. These guys are the best in the world. If only they had a wireless connection here.

I didn’t sleep very well last night and while I was awake I started worrying about my opening tomorrow night. Somebody was saying if I call it an “opening” that would not imply free food but if I call it an “opening reception” that would imply free food. I put “opening reception” on the post card so I stand to look like a cheapskate. I don’t really understand all the protocol of openings and what little I do understand I resist. For instance I can’t bring my own food or beverages in there because that’s their (not for profit) business. I could buy food from them and serve that for free but that’s part I don’t get.

Painting class started up again at the Creative Workshop and my father did some quick watercolor sketches from photos he took on Sunday night of Margaret Explosion on WXXI’s “OnStage”. I took this photo over his shoulder. I’m not sure that he spelled “Margaret ” right but I like the magic carpet under us.

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Dinner Recording Mode

Zazie drawing of Peggi Fournier and Ken Frank playing with Margaret Explosion
Zazie drawing of Peggi Fournier and Ken Frank playing with Margaret Explosion

I mentioned that I invited Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn to my opening of the CrimeStopper portraits. He emailed this morning that he was going to be in Albany earlier in the day but he said he would try to stop by. He said he was looking forward to seeing my paintings.

Jaffe, who played keyboards with Colorblind James for many years, sat in with Margaret Explosion last night at the Little. He fit right in and the band sounded pretty good. Five year old Zazsa, the daughter of Franzie Weldgen who has his art on the walls this month, danced for most of our set and then did drawings of the band. The one above is the drawing she did of Peggi with her sax and Ken with his stand up bass.

Scott Regan and Sue Rogers from WXXI were there and they reminded us that the audio from the Margaret Explosion performance on “On Stage” would be broadcast today at 6pm on WRUR and then Saturday at 3pm. The bad ass blue ray hi def picture and sound will be broadcast at seven on WXXI TV. I’m kind of afraid to look at myself in hi def. I had my eyes closed for most of the hour while we played.

I launched Audacity when the radio show started tonight and I grabbed the streaming signal from WXXI’s website. It’s the first time I’ve used the program and when I listened back I heard Peggi and her mom and I eatting dinner and commenting on the performance. Guess I left the mic input on.

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Best Club In Town

Margaret Explosion in the Green Room at WXXI studios
Margaret Explosion in the Green Room at WXXI studios

There was nothing green in the Green Room at WXXI (unless you count Peggi’s shirt). The management and staff were pros and they treated us like kings (except when Pete and Shelley were caught pouring beer from the tap before they had officially opened the bar). Between songs during the performance Julia Figueras asked about the Scorgie’s days. After the show, Gary Trainer from The Atomic Swindlers said, “Forget about Scorgies. This is the best club in town.” We had a blast.

Margaret Explosion in Green Room at WXXI
Margaret Explosion in the Green Room at WXXI studios
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