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Girls on film
Laura hearts Duran Duran, originally uploaded by cynthiacloskey.
My sister Laura was home this weekend, to celebrate Mother’s Day on her way to Europe for a friend’s wedding.
Laura’s visit always mean a spike of frenzied activity. This time, I think we all managed to have some fun amidst the flurry.
Today she stopped by my house for lunch, and we flipped through a few photos from teenage years. She was particularly excited about this one, which I also especially like.
Laura and I shared a bedroom for our teenage years; her side of the room was more fun than mine, because she had fun posters and a stuffed elephant (which Mom made), while my side was full of books. Good books, but even so.
Thank you, Mom
Me and Mom, originally uploaded by cynthiacloskey.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! Thank you for everything.
Hereford & Hops closes
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The Lanyard
Billy Collins
The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light
and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.
Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.
Penguin style
I’ve been curious about the beard style that Penguin captain Sidney Crosby has chosen for the playoffs. Others on his team have gone for more of a full-face look, while Crosby is sporting a slim mustache and chin beard.
I think I may have found his inspiration:
IMG_2610, originally uploaded by cyfer13.
I have to say, it’s a notable look. A little strange, but it grows on you.
(Marian Hossa and Sidney Crosby photo from the AP, grabbed from the Post-Gazette.)
A quick one today as I'm tying up some
The Artists In Education program continues its good work - this time in the form of a mural at Redbank Valley High School
By all accounts the Hello Tokyo show at Brother Bean Thursday night was really, really good. I also have it on good notice that the drummer was "hot".
Duke Ellington's only opera is performed in CA.
What should be on a band's MySpace?Frankly, as little as possible.
Cites and Bytes@ Bailey ponders the mysterious library art that cropped up on SRU's campus
last.fm now offers video.
Free and Legal Downloads:
St Vincent Live December 12, 2007
Okkervil River - Live On WOXY.com
Beecher's burns down
Double-plus good
Photo: "Chinstrap penguins" by Laura Closkey
Penguins are so fun to watch. And sometimes that boat can still float.
Pittsburgh Blogfest 14
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz.
I wonder where the bloggers is.
They’re getting ready for Pittsburgh Blogfest 14!
If you’ve been curious about blogging, podcasting, and other social media — and if you’ve wondered how to integrate social media into your business marketing efforts — Blogfest is a friendly, informal setting for talking with people who share that interest. Everyone is welcome.
WHAT: Pittsburgh Blogfest 14
WHEN: Friday, May 16, 2008, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM and beyond
WHERE: Finnegan’s Wake (near PNC Park, 20 General Robinson St., North Shore, 412-325-2601), in the Pub Room
WHO: All local bloggers, vloggers, podcasters (and their friends!) and Pittsburgh Bloggers
COST: Free to attend
WI-FI ACCESS: Free
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Finnegan’s Wake, as always. Arrive when you like, leave when you must.
I hope to see you there!
DevHouse Pittsburgh #4 — BBQ House Party
DevHouse Pittsburgh is "the premier Pittsburgh-area hackathon event that combines serious and not-so-serious productivity with a fun and exciting party atmosphere."
We’re about rapid development, ad-hoc collaboration, and cross pollination. Whether you’re a l33t hax0r, hardcore coder, or passionate designer, if you enjoy software and technology development, DevHouse Pittsburgh is for you.
DevHouse is not a marketing event. It’s a non-exclusive event intended for passionate and creative technical and design people that want to have some fun, learn new things, and meet new people.
When: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 2pm - 8pm
Where: Karl Schieneman’s house, 4685 Middle Road, Allison Park, PA 15101
Details of the BBQ are not yet resolved — one scenario is that each person might bring their own grillables, with beverages, sides, and fixings provided. Check the DevHouse Pittsburgh website for updated information, and to RSVP so they have a good guess at a headcount.
It’s sure to be an interesting and fun event. I hope to see you there!
Don’t think
It has been a long day for me. Actually, it has been a long week. It has been a long month already, even — I said as much on May 1, and just over a week later I feel the heavy truth of it. And there are still three weeks to go.
Not that things are bad, you understand. I have a lot going on, and I’m having to work my brain overtime.
What I would most like to do, really, is to not think for a while. Not thoughts. Not even any thoughts about having no thoughts.
It’s times like these that I’m glad television exists.
The <em>Pittsburgh City Paper</em> <a
The City Paper also looks at the congress of indie music labels and hipster crafting at Sort Of Records as well as profiling some of the label's recording artists.
Public radio station WYEP has received $10,000 from Pittsburgh 250 to create a radio series on Pittsburgh's greatest music venues, past and present.
Wired for Books is a huge list of downloadable author interviews by Don Swaim
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead
Cracked lists the creepiest comic book characters of all time. (Adult language and snarky nerdism follow the link)
Upcoming Shows of Interest
Brooklyn's Hello Tokoyo plays Seneca's Brother Bean (2803 SR 257, Seneca, PA 16346
814-677-0232) tonight from 7-9 pm. No cover.
Veteran Status plays a free show Friday at Meadville's Artist Cup Cafe (231 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335) 6-8pm
Jerome Wincek and the Old Hats play Oil City's Latonia (Central Ave, Oil City, PA 16301) Friday with a $10 cover
Newmen play a free show at Meadville's Artist Cup Cafe on Saturday 6-8pm
Ray Bradbury on writing:
Free and Legal Downloads
The Futurist features in-studio mp3s from Matt Pond PA's recent WOXY Lounge Act performance (via).
Jack Johnson Live at Santa Clara University on February 10, 2002
Hank Williams III Live at Joe's On Weed Street on February 20, 2005
Beirut Live at McCarren Park Pool on August 13, 2006
I always end up biting
You know the classic Tootsie-Pop commercial (”A-one, a-two-hoo!, a-three, CRUNCH”). I learned today that this is known as the “Mr. Owl” version, and it’s the short version of a 60-second commercial.
The video above is the full commercial.
Some notes:
- That little boy looked all over the forest for someone to answer his
question. Also, apparently the forest he looked in was “The Freaky-voiced Animal Forest,” because those are some almost-creepy-sounding
critters he talked to. - We’ve played this video a bunch of times today in the Big Big Design office, and Anthony cracks up every time Mr. Cow says “Yeeees?”
- Mr. Cow? Not Mrs. Cow or Ms. Cow?
- The long version doesn’t include the shot of the unhappy boy’s face looking at the stick of the eaten Tootsie-Pop. I miss that.
The blurb on YouTube says this commercial was originally aired in 1969 and that it may be the longest-running TV commercial. It’s certainly among the most memorable.
Related: If you have a darker sense of humor, you may enjoy this parody of the Tootsie-Pop commercial as well. I abhor violence, but I’m kind of with the kid on this.
Pittsburgh BlogFest 14
Urban Flowers, originally uploaded by brunkfordbraun.
I received another poem from Carlos the Mack’rel:
Oh, Cindy-Red or Cindy-Black
(That Closkey hair, I can’t keep track)
Tell me, tell me, tell me true
Just when is our blogfest due?
I can not wait til when it’s time
As you can see this rhyme’s a crime
my meter’s off, tis no mere jest
I need to know the next blog fest.
Week the first in month of May?
Tell me Red, what time? what day?
Or week the next oh, Cindy black
My muse brings forth…I’m stumped, alack!
Happily, I’m able to answer the question that has kept Carlos awake these many nights — and that has surely had you wondering as well.
WHAT: Pittsburgh Blogfest 14
WHEN: Friday, May 16, 2008, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM and beyond
WHERE: Finnegan’s Wake (near PNC Park, 20 General Robinson St., North Shore, 412-325-2601), in the Pub Room
WHO: All local bloggers, vloggers, podcasters (and their friends!) and Pittsburgh Bloggers
COST: Free to attend
WI-FI ACCESS: Free
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Finnegan’s Wake, as always. Arrive when you like, leave when you must.
SMOKING NOTE: As always, the room in which we’ll be blogfesting will be smoke-free. The rest of the bar allows smoking, so one can hop out for a smoke break. There’s a glass wall between, so the smokers and nonsmokers can stare at each other and see how the other half lives.
As always, if you plan to attend, please send an e-mail to "blogfest at-sign closkey dot com". I hope to see you there!
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The entry form for the 2008 Oil Heritage Art Show (June 21st-27th) showed up in my mailbox this week. Call Evelyn Wheeler (814-673-6392) or email if you need a copy.
The Post Gazette profiles the preservation and lighting of Maxo Vanka incredible 22 murals inside Millvale's St. Nicholas Church.
Head to Erie's Griswold Park (yup, named after the cast iron guy and located on 14th st between Peach and Sassafrass Streets next to Union Station) on Friday for the kickoff of a national public television documentary and traveling exhibit that will chronicle the life of Erie magician Harry Kellar. View the trailer here.
Free and Legal Downloads
Mission of Burma Live at Great Scott on January 20, 2008
Over the Rhine Live at Canal Street Tavern on April 26, 2008
Carolina Chocolate Drops Live at Centenary United Methodist Church on April 13, 2008
WVU Faculty Votes to Oust the Prez
The WVU Faculty board voted Monday that President Mike Garrison should resign because of the controversy of awarding a mythical MBA degree to Mylan Inc executive Heather Bresch, who is the daughter of West Virginia governor Joe Manchin. A motion of no confidence passed in a vote of 77-19. The motion demands that Garrison step down, or the that the WVU Board of Governors can require his resignation. There are so many political connections involved with this controversy, it is just unbelievable. Here are just a few:
- Mylan Inc. Executive Heather Bresch is the daughter of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.
- WVU President Mike Garrison is a longtime friend of Heather Bresch.
- Mike Garrison once worked as a Mylan lobbyist.
- Mylan's chairman, Milan "Mike" Puskar, has given tens of millions to the university, which named its football stadium for him.
Garrison has stated previously that he will not resign. Last week Provost Gerald Lang and business school Dean R. Stephen Sears resigned from their administrative posts. Both intend to continue teaching at WVU. Will Garrison step down gracefully or will he be forced to resign? He seems more interested in his own personal reputation (which is already tarnished) instead of WVU's reputation.