My dad cares about you!

My dad sent me an email about poisonous veggie treats and wanted me to share it.

From the CDC:

"Do not eat any more of the Veggie Booty. Throw away the bag. If anyone in your family develops diarrheal illness with bloody diarrhea, fever, or symptoms lasting more than three days, he or she should consult a healthcare provider."

Samonella in your booty!

Be careful.

free time

For those of you who are broke, sick of souless interactions or just hate the man, The Really Really Free Market is this weekend. The first Freecycle FreeMeet was there on a cool, dewy October afternoon. I really enjoyed myself and even got a little owl lantern that I still have today.

I'd be out there with my scissors and comb but I will be out of town.

Here is more info:
It's gonna be a hot summer! Come cool off at the
Summer Really Really Free Market!

* Free Stuff! * Free Services! * Free Fun! *

Everyone's favorite open-air bazaar and community
celebration returns this summer with a vengeance! The
Summer Really Really Free Market is ready to roll, BUT
needs YOU to help make it the best one yet!

WHEN? SATURDAY JULY 21st NOON

WHERE? ST. MARK'S CHURCH (2ND AVE & 10th STREET)

Swap goods (You know, the stuff that is too good to
throw away but you shouldn't keep), share skills, give
presents, eat food, hang out, dance, and have fun—all
for free!

Nothing will be for sale!

If you have a skill to share, stuff to give away, a
crazy art thing to do, music to play, an idea for
entertainment or a topic to discuss; email us soon and
let us know what you are planning! Otherwise, plan on
bringing your own table or blanket and coming and
going as you please, and if you want contact us, just
e-mail: inourhearts@gmail.com

Show up to St. Mark's Church with something to share,
and let this be another step in our movement towards a
really, really free world. Bring friends and gifts,
leave your wallet at home.

Stuff to consider bringing, services you many consider
providing:

music (bands/musicians --acoustic), food
(vegan/vegetarian), clothes, books, movies (vhs/dvd),
recorded music (tapes, cds), computer software,
kitchen supplies, electronics, plants, instruments,
picture frames, office supplies, candles, knick
knacks, toys, jewelry, skillshares (hands-on stuff
like how-to change a bike tire, make sushi, make a
stencil, get social services, etc. etc.), and skills
(massage, haircuts, reiki, etc. etc.)

The more people who show up to have fun, the better it is. Don't let the dreadlocked and stinky bogart the scene!

be safe

Today is National HIV testing Day.
Here are the NY centers participating.

(via the amazing Women's Health News blog)

A million weekends in one

Last Saturday, in the midst of two family visits, I went to MoCCAfest.
I immediately looked for the PARTYKA table to see what was up with Sara and her crew, but since the map of the vendors required more attention than I could give, I just wandered around being tantalized until B showed up and said he had seen the trouble I was looking for.

Here's my haul:


I did well at the sparkplug comicbooks table and Dylan Williams was nice enough to chat for awhile, make recommendations and throw a book for reviewing my way. It looks like they are putting out a bunch of quality stuff, (including Austin English's new book Windy Corners).

I also got this cool little painting by Lucy Knisley called "SUPER TALL BIKE !":


Hope Larson was keeping a watchful eye on her, but Lucy did cut me and B a deal on the painting and was an all-around cool lady. Hope was there selling her own books and the amazing House of Sugar.

There were two floors of vendors and so much good stuff that I ended up spending all my money before I really got a chance to see everything. One thing I love about this fest is that it is not a comicon; there are no jerks in costume, no bikini-clad sexrobots and no attitude. There are however loads of hot folks all heady with overstimuli. The only thing missing is food.

I wanted to buy a painting or large prints, but nothing caught my eye fast enough. Next time... sigh.

B and his sister also got lost and broke with stuff from Squidfire and Top Shelf and Paping.

On the way to Atlas Cafe on Second Ave. for vegan soft serve (which they were out of), an unusually generous Houston St. junk seller gave me this cd for free:

The music looks bad, but I have a weakness for Nara's angry girls.

Because my mom and aunt came to town I could not attend the second day and spend even more money than I have. I am trying to look at that like it is a good thing even though I know I missed hungover cartoonist shenanigans and desperate giveaways. Years of my own desperation has given me a keen sense of smell for it...

I wish I had had more time to meet people, get some stuff signed and see other acquaintances that were lurking about. Write a letter, kids, MoCCAfest needs to be twice a year.

That night B's band had a show and we were all wrecked for my femrelations' visit the next day. Only I accompanied them to the Folk Art Museum, which I always love. It is so near to MOMA that I think people forget about it. The space is great and the exhibits are usually interesting. I highly recommend it for New Yorkers especially; I mean, how many times can you drag yourself through the Met after everyone has visited?

BAD NEWS

a most excellent blog is going the way of all poor parent company decisions and to that I say triple F minus.

RIP Table of Malcontents.

image from ToC

MOCCAfest is this weekend

This weekend is MoCCAfest. This year the panels are not super interesting (to me anyway), but all of our comics friends will be there, right?

Anyway the info is rather unhelpfully displayed here.

Maybe I will see you there.

In between the gigantor after-work naps I have been taking and not writing, I have been bopping around the internets trying to get smarter. I found many a new site, but this one made me grope for the publish button:

Austin Kleon['s awesome blog about comics, writing and love]

Yet another smart person is moving to Austin. Why haven't I done that yet?

Check me writing about Jack Pendarvis at bookslut. Be warned-- there are a million typos in this piece. I hope I can fix them before June's issue is up too long.

As you can see from the review the whole Sedarisesque grasping for poignancy through gross-out technique wears me out. maybe that's why there are all those typos...

true wisdom

Doppelganger lays it out for the world over at 50 Books with her list of hard-won wisdom:

6. Saying whatever is on your mind all the time is neither "being true to yourself" nor is it "just being honest." It's "being an asshole."

There is no excuse to be a damn fool after reading her post.

The only thing I could possibly add to this list today is this:
_The nice, secluded stall you use at work to take big, nasty dumps in is the same one everybody takes big nasty dumps in. We all know what you are doing in there, even if we can't see your shoes, and I for one do not judge you.

I know I am late

I wanted to post a link to this short interview with Lydia Millet from Bookslut. Ican tell she didn't care for Elizabeth Merrick's questions, but I wish she had tried harder to give some fuller answers. Everybody knows that when an interviewer asks a question you don't like, it's time to just talk about something you want to talk about in lieu of a topical answer.

"And, finally, if there is one thing you could change about your writing life or career, what would it be?

I'd like more people to read my books."