I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts…

Or I am…but only at night. So, last weekend I headed over to the very haunted Union Cemetery. Prepare to be terrified.

Time to Get Famous: New England Film & TV Expo

Is it just me or is everyone in Connecticut on their way to being famous? Asian Persuasion and the Anti-Couric are getting more publicity than Jon Gosselin thanks to WNPR and Mr. McEnroe. M. Jodi finally officially handed over the keys to that South Windsor tract of land so before you know it, every Tom, Dick, & Harry from that ‘burb will be working at the new studio. Add in the “Deal or No Deal” production down in Waterford, and I’m starting to think I’m the only one not getting famous. Lucky for me, the answer to every attention hog’s prayers is coming to Hartford.

Feminists, Beat Poets & Me

I have a weakness for country music. I don’t usually admit this freely, but I really love the banjo, the dobro, and Willie Nelson… None of this has anything to do with Connecticut. But I was driving up the Merritt Parkway this evening and I stopped on 92.5 when I heard that Sugarland “Stay” song, which I actually don’t mind admitting I like. (That woman has a lovely voice…but she’s no Allison Krauss.) Oddly enough, it got me thinking about Gina Barecca.

Who is Gina Barecca, you ask? Well, you’d know the answer to that if you’d ever been an English major at UConn…or if you read The Courant. I had her as a professor, though, and that was how I came to know her–and a whole lot about British literature. When she isn’t teaching, writing books, or being a cloumnist she’s giving speeches…well, it’s more like doing feminist stand-up comedy. And she had this bit about how whiny and passive female musicians seemed to be these days. So when I heard this song tonight, I thought of her:

American Mural Project at the Hartford Library

The miniature scale of what the mural will look like.

Yesterday, in the mess of rain and wind, our entire department (okay, there’s only three of us…) trekked down to the Hartford Public Library where the American Mural Project was opening its exhibit.

This project is probably one of the coolest, yet most difficult things in the world to describe. Founded by artist Ellen Griesedieck ten years ago, the idea began as she working on projects about people across America in all kinds of careers–from copper miners to taxi drivers. She decided she wanted to do a mural encapsulating the energy and work ethic of America, and so the project was born. Griesedieck is an incredibly petite (which is saying something coming from 5′0″ me) bundle of kinetic energy and positivity. Just talking with her you find yourself becoming excited and more invigorated. She’s kind of like caffeine.

Utsav

I love Indian food. I eat it just about every chance I get. When I get together with the Anti-Couric and Dr. Gold, it’s usually our food of choice–which means we’ve had very mixed results. Since moving back East of the River, I had to abandon my former favorite Indian restaurant, Haveli in Middletown. I had always heard how good Ambassador of India was, but never had mind-blowing experiences. Then it closed.

Enter Utsav in Vernon.

We Disagree…

but it still made us laugh.

Silk City: It’s a Wrap

Left: Ron Palilo

If you missed The First Annual Silk City Flick Fest, you should be ashamed. I’m calling it a raving success.

The opening night party saw a number of the filmmakers and other industry bigwigs rub elbows and make some solid connections. In attendance were such names as Ron Palillo and Tom Kane. (If you don’t know who they are, look them up on imdb.com cause they’re on there!) In addition to all the hobnobbing, there was plenty of free food and drinks! Who can complain about that? Certainly not this vagabond.

Swine Flu Transmitted Through Bad Handwriting

NEW LONDON – WFSB reports: Officials at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy said that some cadets have become ill after opening a strange letter. Officials said that the letter contained writing in a foreign language.

The Fabric of CT = Baseball

Somehow, I missed the Colin McEnroe Show on Friday, but I’m catching up on my podcasts now…and I am sorry to have gone almost a week without having heard this show — which I consider to be more about the fabric of Connecticut than about the game it purports to be about…baseball.

Dear America: Reality, Hot Air & Balloons

I don’t have cable so when I’m watching TV it usually means I’m watching something from Netflix or on Hulu. So, I was spared much of the “drama” of this whole Balloon Boy mess. I was not, like so many others, glued to my  television watching some brat “float away” in a balloon that could barely carry its own weight, nevermind that of a scrawny school-aged child. I haven’t been quite as lucky when it comes to the aftermath.

You’re Already a Clown…Now Dress Like One

Listen up, peeps: the Stamford Thanksgiving Parade (Sunday, Nov. 22) is a pretty big deal, and they’re looking for volunteers. Bascially, you have the choice of dressing up like the clow you already are…or pulling a Balloon Boy and agreeing to be a “balloon handler.” I was hoping to be a baloon handler but I’m going to be away for most of the week before the parade and just don’t think I’ll be able to drag myself out of bed to walk around in the cold attached to a giant turkey.

But you should…

Stamford Downtown

203-348.5285

events@stamford-downtown.com

You must be at least 16 years old.

PBR: Steers and Queers at the Casino

We get up close and personal with Wiley Petersen('s carboard cutout).

Every once in awhile the PrissyBitch likes to go slumming and she always drags me along for protection. But I was quite surprised when she suggested I accompany her to a…get this…Professional Bull Riding (PBR) competition at Mohegan Sun. She must have found a particularly kicky combination of Valium, gin, and Ticketmaster last week. (PrissyBitch is always looking for a good excuse to wear her “cowgirl costume” so that might have something to do with her sudden interest in livestock.) Since I love nothing more than to watch her say things like “Yee-haw!” and try to choke down cheap beer, I agreed to go with her as long as we could pay for the cheap seats and sneak up to the front (my idea of civil disobedience at an event my militant side might normally try to protest).

The Bonestripper

The Bonestripper rocks hard.

Normally, when the PrissyBitch and I are in Norwalk we go to B.J. Ryan’s where we can usually count on a free drink or two, and some decent food. But alas, we had no choice but to head around the corner to the Ash Creek Saloon where our friend The Bonestripper was participating in a rib eating contest last Wednesday. A sign outside claims Ash Creek is home to the best ribs in the state, and that it’s the best neighborhood restaurant or some such nonsense. The manhandled pickle that came out with my dinner would seem to be evidence to the contrary, but I digress…

Normally, we WASPs don’t want anything to do with a restaurant boasting a saddle in the bar, but we are nothing if not supportive friends and so we turned out with the masses to support The Bonestripper in his bid for competitive eating glory. He had monogrammed towels, signs, and rock star sunglasses. Clearly, he was the favorite.

Vito Can’t Hit One In or Out of the Park

Excuse the baseball reference…I’m still sulking over the Sox’s miserable performance against the Angels this weekend.

Last week, The Boyfriend and I decided to try Vito’s by the Park in Hartford (by Bushnell Park…get it? get it?) before heading to a show at The Bushnell. Both of us had been there many, many, many years ago and had not been terribly impressed. In fact, we’d been so unimpressed that it took seven years and a $25 gift certificate to get us back there.

Your Best Isn’t Good Enough, Connecticut

Shame on you, Nutmeggers.

We’ve just got a report card of sorts and frankly, I’m going to need you all to try harder. The Hartford-New Haven area came in as the sixth smartest metropolitan area in the country, behind such hot beds of intellectual activity as Denver and…I can barely type these words…Raleigh-Durham.