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. 

The Cereal Project: Free Song

Free Bobby Sherman record! 

He was another choice for the Fifth Monkee feature, RIP Frankie Catalino 

Cereal boxes in the 70s featured a flimsy, plastic 45 blown inside the box and secured with glue dots. In the 00s there was a code to download a song via Zune or iTunes. In theory, I can go retro in appearance, but the code will be a QR in the box to download the prize. 

But what's the song? 

Cam was a little emo, and I feel like his kid could be an angsty singer/songwriter, quietly trying things out.  Gord is anxious because her band, which she had only been goofing around with, surprised her by securing a slot in a "battle of the bands" competition on spring break, but they have to cut school early to get to Florida in time. She's also been filling notebooks with songs and poetry, and in a case of performance anxiety and impostor syndrome, she's terrified that her stuff may not be any good. The other conflict is that neither parent knew about this, and her mom is pushing college tours instead of spring break with her friends. 

Guess I need to write a song for this. It's gotta be catchy. I'm representing the state that brought Aretha, Eminem, and The Stooges. I want to lean into a genre I've discovered recently, bubblegum punk, a.k.a. trash pop. 

Free Song, by The Free Stickers 

You think you know, know the way,

But can't give me the time of day,

This love's too casual for you,

You're happy when I am feelin', feelin' blue.

You knew it all along, 

I bare it all in this song.

You mean it all, all to me,

But what I give you take for free.

The path for us it twists and turns,

Your cutting tone gives me the burns.

Why do I give you my heart, 

It feels over before it starts.

You knew it all along, 

I bare it all in this song.

You meant it all, all to me,

But what I give you take for free.

Your valentine ruins the day, all I do is sit and pray, what's in your heart I have no SAY!

[angry guitar, then drum solo]

I kind of knew all along,

As I sing, sing this song,

You were once it all, all for me,

But I finally broke, broke it free. 

Why Art Matters: Jim Miller-Melberg, Sculptures for Play

Tree Form, I mistakenly called it DNA swirls when I was a kid. 

Saddle Slide, I don't remember there being one of these at Cascades. 

Castle, we called them adobe huts. 

We took the long way to Chicago this weekend, hoping to catch a garage sale or two, find some roadside honey sellers. Driving through South Haven, I was startled by a call back to my childhood and made Dave turn around. 

There they were - the play sculptures of my youth. I had to learn more. 

An internet search for playground sculptures, I discovered the artist, Jim Miller-Melberg. A true Michigander, he was born in Detroit, went to Cranbrook, then Wayne State and the University of Michigan.  He founded a company, Form, Inc., and designed playgrounds nationwide. 

In addition to the designs above, his outdoor sculptures included benches, game tables, picnic tables, basketball hoops, water fountains, animals (dophins and turtles are favorites among us GenXers), play walls (also called Swiss cheese due to the holes), and, of course, the iconic moon house. Link to the catalog here. 

I posted the photos on Facebook, which brought friends out of the woodwork to share their love for the play sculptures. I also found a fan page devoted to finding where his playground pieces still exist, and I was able to add my find. Now I have a reference in case I want to rediscover the play wall or a moon house. 

Thank you, Jim, for a fantastic childhood memory.