The Cereal Project: Free Stickers

I misread a marquee for a taco joint in Kalamazoo as Que Banana? and a fake band was born.

For my fake movie and my fake protagonist to promote my fake cereal, let's discuss why 'Gord' is a nickname for a girl. My childhood nickname was Mo, because my cousin Kevin couldn't say Melissa. Let's say Gord comes from her mispronunciation of "girl," when her grandpa would beckon her with an affectionate call of "little girl." That her dad's favorite hockey player was Gordie Howe is a nice coincidence. 

I've relied so heavily on her nickname in my imagination that I haven't thought about what her real name should be. I did love the name Gwendolyn as a kid. Gwendolyn Frye sounds regal and flows elegantly off the tongue, but also seems too heavy for a teenage girl, like she needs to grow into it; Gord is kind of tomboyish, a suit of armor. Typing this out helps shape in my mind who she is. 

Anyway, this month's project is about another freebie in the cereal box, stickers. I love stickers. The walls of our garage are covered in them, as well as my guitar case. 

Gord is in a garage band, and bands love to give away stickers to promote themselves. The stickers will be made up of the participating acts in the fictitious Battle of the Bands lineup!

lol, iykyk

One of my fictitious cover bands a couple of years ago.

Art school kids love being in prog rock bands. Maybe this one can be more bubblegum punk.

Gord and the girls.

My alter-ego open mic night persona - of course, I make a cameo in my fake movie. Already imagining an ironic, acoustic cover of The Knack's Good Girls Don't.

Lipstick on the Mic: The Runaways

How to always be badass

Cherie, Sandy, Lita, Jackie, Joan, Vicki, Micki - legendary band. Incredible talents at a very young age. Cherry Bomb is always on my playlist. Each individual has demonstrated through life exactly how to be badass. 

Cherie Currie - vocalist, writer, performer, woodcarving artist. 

Sandy West - drummer, bartender, colorful member, providing the steady heartbeat. RIP. 

Lita Ford - guitarist, vocalist, writer. Had some huge hits in the late 80s. I was particularly fond of her remake of Alice Cooper's Only Women Bleed. 

Jackie Fox - merit scholar at UCLA, JD at Harvard, went viral for her winning streak on the game show Jeopardy! 

Joan Jett - rock and roll hall of fame. She was everywhere in the 80s, from movies to TV to establishing her own music label when no one would release her records. Activist and riot grrrl. 

Vicki Blue - film producer, writer, director, and even got in on the joke and played Cindy in This is Spinal Tap. 

Micki Steele - bassist, writer, singer - left early in the band's career because she thought Kim Fowley was stupid. She was right. Went on to be a badass in The Bangles. Kept doing her own thing musically and retired to rescue animals. 

The Fifth Monkee, Vic Tayback

He's got tha' goods, boss!

Vic was a longtime character actor who, according to IMDb, debuted in 1958 in the TV show Buckskin. He played blue-collar roles throughout the 60s such as a miner, a guard, and a cop. This stretch included three stints on The Monkees playing different roles as Chuckie, Rocco, and George. 

In the 70s, it was his acclaimed role in the movie and television series as diner owner Mel that gave him his time in the spotlight. As the gruff but tenderhearted boss to the titled character Alice, Tayback earned Golden Globes and an Emmy nomination for his effort. 

Post-Alice, he acted in movies, commercials, TV, and voice-over work in cartoons, until his death from a heart attack at age 60 in 1990. 

Typing Out Loud: Finding My Way Back

Of course, I'm considering blue moon phases for the dress 

Oh, the season that wasn't. I had great ideas for new programs a year ago - recap of program ideas here - but mom stuff, new adventures in learning to be a chief referee, and a bum leg negated the constant inner nagging that I really needed to get my ass to the rink. 

What broke the spell? An impulse entry to compete at the Grand Rapids Open as a box of chocolates, which drove me to resume practice at least twice a week. Getting aggressive with the chiro about stretching that hip, which includes jamming my toe picks into the ice for a deep lunge stretch. It hurts, but it works. By sheer determination, I was able to choreograph a fun program to Savoy Truffle with the skill set I had. The good news is that what was hard to accomplish two weeks ago, I'm overskating now. 

Programs evolve!

But my love of the song Shame on the Moon has me dreaming of solo ice dance again. I had attempted to choreograph this last year on my trip to the Little House sites when I stopped in Springfield MO, to skate at the beautiful rink at the Jordan Valley FSC. I don't know what got in my way; it was a mess back then. 

Fast forward to this past Saturday. After two successful run-throughs of Savoy Truffle, I started to revisit the Moon program. I pulled up the music, and the ice dance pattern for the Hickory Hoedown was apparent straightaway, as was the spiral sequence for the long edge element. Since things change ALL THE TIME in skating, I pulled up the adult ice dance manual and noticed a jump was no longer a mandatory element, and if it had a toe assist, it was actually a deduction. Good to know! 

Yesterday, I pulled the music up and tried the dance pattern to open, and it fit perfectly. I tried the spiral sequence with the idea of doing a right forward outside to left back outside, creating a circle and symbolizing the moon, with the idea of then doing a circular footwork pattern to take the theme further. 

I didn't like it. 

I changed the spirals to RFO, and the mohawk push to RBO, so I cover the ice in a more serpentine pattern and start with straight-line footwork in the hockey crease. This unwinds me from working in a small, circular pattern. I already feel freer for having done this. 

I need to create straight-line footwork that matches the music, covers the ice, includes mohawks and three turns, and then a dance spin to finish. 

I'm up to the task. 

Earlier this week, I had a doctor's appointment where we talked about my activity. I flatly told him, "Yeah, I did the River Bank Run," then went into obsessive detail about skating, including the story of being the face of figure skating this past weekend. 

I think the rink is where I'm meant to be. 

This is What a Real Figure Skater Looks Like

Entirely by default, I was the face of figure skating heading into this week's State Games of Michigan as the only representative in the sport to attend the opening ceremonies. I got a Summer Games bracelet charm and got to walk the field past the cauldron to polite applause as the crowd waited for the 2,000 hockey players parading behind me, as our sports were arranged in alphabetical order. 

I felt like the lone Panamanian at the Winter Games. 

It was still fun, and hey - free bracelet.

Project 3867: Off Alpine

 

Beer beef stew? Yes, please!

Looking around at what is happening in downtown CP, maybe you embrace the dining culture that is being created and offer up your own twist on the experience. Even saying "off Alpine" creates a vision, and I'm inspired to find a niche and go Belgian - beer, food, decor. 

Menu: Beer beef stew was the first thing that popped up. For Belgian fries, the key is to fry them twice. Meatballs and noodles. Ham and potatoes au gratin. Waffles for dinner. Endive and apple salad. 

Offer a lounge experience with couches and soft chairs instead of hard bar stools. 

It's already feeling cozy. 

Give me a lambic and tell me I'm pretty

Maybe I just want a place where I can indulge in all the Lindemann's Lambics on tap without judgment.

Create a bar/pub crawl experience with neighbors at Mill Creek Tavern, Nick Fink's, and Vitale's. 

What’s Right in the World: Finding the Right Statement

Those sleeves!

I was invited by a friend to join him for Pridefest, but I I admitted I didn’t have anything to wear. 

So I hemmed.

I hawed.

I put no less than five shirts in my Amazon basket, then deleted them all. I didn’t want to be obnoxious, ambiguous, confrontational, or dismissive. I also didn’t want to wear black. 

(This is nothing new - if you recall from a previous post, I overthought an Ally shirt I found at the thrift, only to discover it didn’t fit.)

I gave it a day, and the topic came up again, and I browsed one more time.

Then I found it.

I loved the sleeves, and what’s better, if I clicked the coupon box, it would be 25% off with free shipping.

I squealed and hit the Buy Now button.

To thine own self be true - be it your choice of partner or hunting for a bargain.