If I were on City Council

I was relieved when back in ought-5, i lost my bid for Carbondale City Council in the preliminary round. I wonder how my fellow candidates are doing now. I heard about Angie Kaye on the news the other day, where she's webmastering something, but I don't think she's keeping up her blog. Rhett Barke I see at Schnucks once in a while. Don't see Fritzler or Wissmann; nor TyJuan Cratic. I supposed the closest friendship I formed from the experience was with Hugh Williams.

If I were on City Council, I would have pressed to relocate the Amtrak Station across the tracks to Washington St.: which would make the Amtrak property available for commercial development. Maybe it would have been shot down, like my request to have the Greyhound bus stop in the 200 block of N. Washington.

Something has definitely got to give with the combined bus-train ("intermodal") depot, like in Champaign. There is talk among state legislators and local politicians to make it happen, but ground will not be broken for a local project for several years, is my bet.

(Speaking of bets, looks like I'll hafta payoff on mine with Tom Miller, that Katie Curic would last at least 3 years.)

If I were on City Council, the Mayor would have (had) a comedic foil worthy of his world class smart-assiness. As it is, only Wissmann and McDaniel seem to appreciate his one-liners. It would be funny to assemble an amusing "reel" of Cole cracks followed by Wissmann's seconding laughter (I'll try to make one from the next City Council meeting I listen to, promise).

If I were on City Council, I would write about the experience, as it transpired, commenting on the stupid things some City Councilors say. It might be fun to put together a Haynes lowlight reel. If I were on City Council, I'd do it.

If I were on City Council, I would support Mayor Cole's efforts to rebuild a City that got run down due to poor decisions by previous City Councils.

I would put forward a proposal to give City official "Home of Dome" status, a better slogan than "Haven't You Heard." The Geodesic Dome invented by former local Buckminster Fuller would be a good symbol for the City, a viable vision from the City's recent past, as shown by efforts by a local group to preserve Fuller's home. The Arena Dome could be reconfigured as geodesic when it is upgraded.

Since I am not on City Council (thank dawG, some say!), I pay little attention to City politics. What I know I read in the Bytelife blog; or the City's audio of the meetings; or from periodic meetings with the mayory old soul, himself.

If Maggie were Mayor

Looking around Carbondale today, I wonder how much of what we see (or don't see) is because this blog supported Brad Cole for Mayor back in 2003. Hard to tell, but the landscape would certainly be different. Maggie had a Renaissance Vision; Cole had a Reconstruction Vision. Since he's been mayor, nearly 3 dozen buildings have disappeared from view.

Would Jim Jarvis and Cycletech still be located in the now-demolished dairy building, along with Gasoline Alley if Maggie were elected instead of Cole? Would Selmier-Peerless still be crumbling on the corner of Washington & Walnut?

Would K-Mart building be empty? Would TIF District approval have occurred; would First Southern Bank be there?

My reasons for supporting Cole back then were due primarily to Ms. F's 4x failure to reply to email messages concerning the swimming pool issue. By then, Cole had sufficiently impressed with his follow-through and willingness to go along with some of my ideas.

Would things be stagnant if Flanagan had been elected? (If she had, Sheila Simon would not have run for Mayor in the last election.) Tom Redmond would still be working at his job.

I saw Maggie recently at a musical event at Hangar 9. She looked great, and told me of her family's effort to grow organic grapes on land east of town.

Cole, I get to visit with in his office, every two or three months. Will see him at Bike 2 Work Day on May 16 . . . . Would there be a Bike 2 Work Day if Maggie were Mayor? Sure. Why not?

This post could shape up as a chapter in my blook, so the next time I see Cole and Flanagan, I'll ask them what they think.

Shake, rattle & (rock 'n') roll

Like many others in the Midwest this morning, I was awakened by the shaking of my bed and rattling windows -- the result of what has since been labeled a 5.2 earthquake stemming from the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, located in Southeastern Illinois and Southwestern Indiana.

I rolled out of bed and threw up the window sash. Nope, wasn't Santa and 8 reindeer on the roof. Nor was there a division of tanks rolling down my street. This was my first plus 3.0 earthquake, and I was surprised no knick-knacks fell from shelves, but I rearranged my Simpsons action figures anyway, and returned to bed and sleep, wondering if some modern-day Tecumseh predicted this unexpected shifting of the earth's plates.

Today, it's the hot topic for discussion, but you may find Pandora Radio - Free Internet Radio more satisfying in the long run. I found 14 different versions of "Shake, Rattle, Roll," including: Bill Haley & His Comets, Big Joe Turner (the original), Elvis Presley, Joe Turner, Johnny Horton, Billy Swan, Clifton Chenier, Snooks Eaglin, Deep River Boys, Jeff Healey, Sam Cooke, Ernie K-Doe, Joe Williams, NRBQ.

Speaking of jobs

Fernando Trevino may be out of job, but Jessica Bradshaw, the ticket bookster, has found full-time employment at SIU -- which means an opening at Greyhound for someone with computer experience, problem-solving personality, patience, and ability to collect money and give change 2-3 hours per day. I am certain that Fernando could handle it.

I could have used him yesterday, since my cosmopolitan, diverse City does not currently have a Spanish-speaking police or community service officers on duty. But English-speaking Officer Rebecca Mooney kindly stayed with an unfortunate Spanish-speaking woman who got left behind by the Greyhound bus, due to misunderstanding. She was very upset, in Spanish. . . . Jim at Amtrak phoned me and I drove over to investigate and help. Turns out she was the parent of a client at CCS (Center for Comprehensive Services) who eventually came to her aid with their vehicle. I plan to follow up on this with someone from The City. It seems unbelievable there isn't a Spanish speaking employee on City administrative or law enforcement.

I made it to another house of worship today, for my blook A Month of Sundays; this week to the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, where an internationally-known speaker inspired everyone, and I saw some old friends and met some new ones.

Got the rugby video completed yesterday, but the soundtrack did not get fully uploaded, which you can see/hear for yourself. No expert on video formats, I'll trial-and-error it again when I have time. I guess that's how YouTube makes it simpler, by standardizing, but I wanted to post it on the Vegetable House movie website.

Speaking of movie websites, been checking out the web sites of three forthcoming "stoner" movies. Harold and Kumar's site is the best . . . for entertaining uploading, but I like the marketing promotion by the producer of "Super High Me." on April 20. (Can you guess what time?) Maybe it can be shown at the Big Muddy Independent Media Center.

The photo above of Old National Bank -- with the Man-Tra-Con sign in front -- is there because I told the receptionist I would write something about it in my blog, including a link to the corporate web site.

Time to get started on a job I've been postponing.

Rugby shoot

With Final Four action in San Antonio and the All-Fools Rugby Tournament in Carbondale, sports were on my mind on Saturday. Didn't see the NCAA, but shot some video of rugby matches for Vegetable House 2: Hold the Sausage. Spent most of Sunday putting it to music ("Start the Commotion" by The Wiseguys (performed on YouTube), so stay tuned. It'll be linked here when it's completed.

Hill and Dale Travelers

FOREVER JUNG: But one plate falls, and another begins to spin: . . . . One year after his too-young passing, collection of essays by Jim Jung is in the works. Going back to the 2000 edition of Waterman & Hill-Traveler's Companion, through 2007, the last almanac published before he died.

Local book maven Jessica Bradshaw is helping edit, and Terry Clark, marketing chair, will sit on the sales committee. Yesterday, I met the guy who bought Jim's house. He plans to donate specimens of plants and herbs from the yard to Green Earth. Also, if you knew Jim and his wife Ruby, you may be interested in her news!

Prof. Clark and I had a brilliant conversation a month ago at Pinch Penny Pub. It was hilarious. About "image" advertising, in particular a spot that was run for SIUC. . . . Couldn't find it on YouTube though. The upshot of our disagreement was "What is the message?" Until I see the actual ad, I will not know the answer, because Prof. Clark could not tell me! ;-)

Information Specialists

Following through on my post to Bytelife last week, the April 2, 2008 City Council meeting has been updated with the audio links, thanks to Mark Jones, the City's IT guy. Interesting to learn that someone in City government sees the need for a public information official. Until they hire one, I'll try to fill in. . . . with the help of Google Docs, Drupal content management, and information specialists like Beth Spezia of WSIU, who posted a news release to the WSIU Public Broadcasting blog at ShawneeNet, yesterday . . . all by herself, without me bugging her, the way I have to do with most people who would benefit from blogging. How many information specialists are there in Carbondale? There are two kinds: the content providers, like SIUC guy Mike Ruiz and the SIUC News Service and Spezia, and technical enablers, like Jones or Jamie Throgmorton, who set up the WDBX stream.

To make Carbondale's information easily accessible to all, the cooperation of these professionals is needed. For the next few weeks, I'll try to track them down: the web gurus and news nerds who make Carbondale's clock tock. Perhaps some video.

blogger on the roof

This afternoon, after work, I went up on the roof with some duct tape, staple gun, and heavy duty trash bag, hoping to stem the leak from my bedroom ceiling.

Although I got a tenuous foothold, I couldn't move enough to cover the whole spot -- it simply was too steep.

Still, I'd like to climb up there again some sunny day and take a panoramic photo: there are some nice old buildings in the neighborhood.

forecast stimulates upward mend

Another rain storm is the weather forecast, and my roof still leaks. Instead of writing this, I should try to get it repaired. I phoned the property manager to see if she can someone to patch it up today. If not, I can try to fix it myself.

One job I wouldn't try myself is circumcisioner (mohel). The subject came up recently concerning the future of my grandson's foreskin, which currently is attached to the rest of his 3-day old body. Knowing what I know now, (if I had a choice) I wouldn't have had it done to myself, nor to the son who plans to put his own son under the knife.

A staple gun, some duct tape and a heavy duty garbage bag might do the trick . . . temporarily.

I informed my son the people in the circumcision ward don't work for tips; he said the procedure costs $250. Ouch.

It would hurt more than my pocketbook if I fall from the roof while fixin' the hole where the rain gets in and stop my mind from wanderin'.

Corporations p(l)ay the fool

No foolin': Funny Business leads to profits through a newly launched website from The Corporate Jester, Jeff Rogers, and a new book by David Riveness reveals The Secret Life of the Corporate Jester.

Perhaps I've found my niche: Greyhound bus jester.

Poster boy

It's good to get out of the house, away from the keyboard and monitor, and meet with folks for some chat and chew, or sip and quip. . . . Friday night, I showed up at the Chamber - Main Street Open House, said 'hi' to hostesses Meredith, Lisa, Megan, and attendees like Councilman Lance Jack and Citizen Hugh Muldoon, Boys & Girls Club Director Randy Osborn, and Sam and Sue, owners of My Favorite Toys at University Mall, which has "toys you can't buy at Wal-Mart."

Of course, I advocated using the internet to promote their business, since (for most businesses, for most situations) corporate media advertising is a waste of money. Been preaching that since early 90's when I got religion, PR style.

Posters are a useful type of print advertising, however. I got one (pictured left) about the Art & Wine Fair on Jackson Street and adjacent lots. Street closed, live music, and . . . I'll post it at Greyhound office.

After an hour of hangin' with the Main Streeters, walked up to Hangar 9 to hear one of my housemates jam with some other musicians, including a few remaining blades of Broken Grass. Robert has amazing blues pickin' skills. He's always practicin' overhead in his room above the kitchen when I'm making coffee. It's nice having him for a housemate, since he's on the road a lot with his regular band.

I also saw my dear friend "Jalapena" at The Hangar with Maggie Flanagan and some other folks I didn't know. A singer herself, she'll be performing at Hangar next week with Robbie Stokes backup.

Listened again to Stoke's classic "All American City" recently (originally released as a 45 rpm). . . . I'd like to make a music video of it -- it's quite an epic composition (penned by his grandfather, and song by Robbie nearly 30 years ago). Apparently, it hasn't yet been uploaded to the audio file, so I must get on that. . . Back in 2004, Robbie and I made a deal for me to sell the 45's and donate $ to the Hurd Brothers Scholarship Fund at Southeastern College, which I still intend to do, although I haven't done much with it since then (one of those forgotten plates). I will transcribe the lyrics for the product description. The entire song is nearly 5 minutes long; it begins (mp3) . . . "The All American City, our history goes back in time here in the heart of Little Egypt land on the good old IC line . . . "

Speaking of 45 rpm, I bought a tuner at a church yard sale (Calvary on Poplar) and a turntable at thrift store yesterday, so my classic vinyl platters can be digitized.

Despite my appreciation for printed posters and tee-shirts, I still could be the poster boy for digital media -- except for not owning an iPhone or Blackberry. It will be a few years before one of those finds itself on a table next to a toaster at a yard sale.

Fragmentary Friday

People ask how many blogs I currently maintain: about a dozen. Doesn't take much time if I don't write expansively in every one. So excuse me if I don't analyze the irony of the 76ers turnaround without Iverson, and the Nuggles struggles to make the playoffs; or speculate on how McCain will gain as Democrats and Iraqis continue fighting; or give shout outs to my homies at Graydog's who never read this blog; or bitch about (short list of) local community leaders who continue to retard the local internet scene; or sing the praises of my favorite American Idol contestants; or comment on a recent discovery in the Northwest; or update plans to relocate the ticket office and bus stop at the BP Station on E. Main (BP stands for Bus Place, in this case); or plug tonight's Open House at the Chamber-Main Street offices; or detail continuing efforts to rid my PC of whatever's hijacking the internet connection.

Sometimes it's difficult deciding where to break certain news, such as Jeremiah Wright flap, or the great news I received last night. Two words: Jacob William.

Windfall Wednesday

Keeping with the Alliterative Adjective Day-of-the-Week, theme, Wednesday has several possibilities: Wacky, Weird, Wonderful, Wedding, Wet, Wild and Windy. Still haven't finished drafts of "Monkey Monday" and "Doozy Tuesday" published yet. Been dealing with a virus on my HP Pavilion caused by unwise downloading at The Pirate Bay.

Still keeping up with all my blogs on my laptop, with others in the works: a pop culture blog, and one for people over 50.

My $100 7.0 megapixel camera is working fine, so far. Been video'ing bicycle rides to work and around town for a video, The Way of the Bike, Carbondale-style.

Speaking of bikes, I've got to write a press release for the Chamber director to send to members about Bike 2 Work Day, May 16. I'll try to have it done before tomorrow night's Chamber of Commerce/Carbondale Main Street Open House, 5-7pm. When it gets done, it will be linked to right here.

What else is new? Looks like an Ebay service may be offered in its place when Greyhound moves out in May. People can bring there stuff there to sell online. Also, thinking about setting up a small computer station, say 3-5 computers to teach classes on using different applications in the same space. My landlord Charley Greer thinks people would pay to learn the things they need to know. I know I would. . . .

I need a virus removal class right about now. . . . Firefox opens, but can't connect to anything, and IE7 goes to rogue websites, with pop-ups offering to scan my system. (My system should be obvious: Like cooked spaghetti, throw it on the ceiling and see if it sticks (much easier than spinning plates. ha ha).

Speaking of Greyhound, yesterday was special, as in especially difficult, but eventually we got this desparate couple on the road to California, thanks to the owners of Truley's Country Kitchen, who really stepped up and helped those guys.

Speaking of stand up guys, I snapped a photo of Charley sitting outside this morning. He's always dressed real nice, because he's buys fashionable stuff for his Urban2 store. Don't be surprised if you see me dressed to the 9's someday (at the Carbondale Chamber - Main Street Open House on Friday. I should ask Charley to suit me up real fly for the publicity.

This afternoon I had a super meeting with a business guy who likes this blog. We lamented the virtual retardation of the community leaders when it comes to getting their information of the web timely and accessibly. It's unbelieveable, really, how many people are afraid to step into a blog and begin talking the walk -- people whose business and organizations would benefit from exposure. (For instance, try to find any mention of tomorrow's Open House on the Main Street site. At least the Chamber website has some details.

I guess the saying is true, "You can lead a leader to Blogger.Com, but you can't make them click."

Great Good Friday

Followed by Ash Wednesday, Good Friday is the solemnest day of the year for the world's Christians, because it marks the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the origin of the term Good is not clear:

Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons.

Hoping for a great Good Friday, today. Meeting Ruby Jung to discuss publishing her late husband's essays as a book -- something I said I'd do at Jim's funeral a year ago. Haven't done much yet, except for retyping his first published essay. Today, we'll choose the other essays to include, selected from the 7 annual editions of his Waterman & Hill-Traveler's Companion. Jim was a fine writer, and his pithy explanations of complex phenomena is unequaled in Southern Illinois nature writing.

Earlier this week, I got together with the guy who introduced to Jim three decades ago. A guy who at the time drove a bus for the transportation service, but now has risen to become the marketing maven of SIU. Guess who? We drank some beer at Pinch Penny and got into a heated exchange about the meaning of the new SIUC image ads, with the tag: There are # stories, what's yours? I tried to find the ad at the SalukiDawgs YouTube, without success.

It's also been a week of meeting Coles: with Brad, the Mayor (about the City's possible participation in a city-wide informational website); and Megan at Main Street about the Town Square art fair this Spring, and Melissa Cole in England, who loves great beer.

The great Meredith Rhodes also met with me last week -- to discuss the Chamber's participation in this year's Bike 2 Work Day. She says she'll ride herself, and publicize the event to members. Since Rhodes is such a Beatles fan, like me, we're thinking this years event can have Beatles theme, and Chamber can provide "Tickets to Ride" at downtown businesses.

Other projects still spin away, and new ones appear. Just bought a new digital camera to replace my trusty Canon Powershot, which has seen better days. Got a great deal on a 7.0 mega pixel camera at Aldi! Will try the video feature today, and upload something over the weekend.

Saint for a day

Saint Barack appeared in Philadelphia today, to preach a 37 minute speech of reconciliation and improvement, to quell the outcry over his former Pastor's anti-American pronouncements. The most important speech of his campaign, already it's been clipped and edited by enemies, who doubt his righteousness, for political opportunity.

Yesterday was another Saint's day, and today, a list of different holy men are honored by the Catholic Church:

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Alexander

Bl. Christian

St. Salvatore

St. Edward the Martyr

St. Anselm of Lucca

Sts. Trophimus & Eucarpius

St. Salvator of Horta

St. Frediano

St. Narcissus and Felix

Although he isn't Catholic, his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright seems like a saintly man. I wonder what he has to say today? Does he stand by "God damn America?" Perhaps it doesn't matter -- Obama did a brilliant job of putting Jeremiah's invective in perspective, and pointing to a better future for all Americans . . . even the ignorati.

To further distance himself from Wright, Barack should consider adding his name to the growing list of Roman Catholic converts. This would score some major points with the most influential Catholic in America, and give BHO an excellent chance of achieving official Sainthood following his second term of miracle-working as President.

Amberer than her

St Patrick's Day is a big deal in some circles. Being only half-Irish, not so much for me. St. David's Day, the Patron Saint of Wales, is more my thing, since I prefer amber-colored ale to green. But here's to Ireland, in her emerald glory; and to Greener Than Thou, for telling this story.

City of Carbondale - Organizational Chart

Look at it. The City paid $25,000 for its web site five or six years ago, and the organizational chart is barely legible -- not to mention other problems with the site. Time for a new improved version -- which happens to be one of the items on the City Council budget agenda.

. . . To speed the process, accounts have been created for selected City and University publicity people for the Shawnee Net site, so they can post their press releases to one convenient and permanent location, where all local organizations can be represented.

For it to work, follow-through is needed by people in these organizations. Carbondale has been soooo slow in getting itself wired, and by 'itself' I mean the business and professional community, and by 'wired' I mean interconnected via internet. Besides email, not much intra-city communication takes place. And that's because of lack of leadership. I try to lead from here, pecking and clicking, urging (just about) everyone to blog, but it usually takes personal contact with individuals to get it going.

Yesterday, through the power of a phone call, Monica Tichenor, Coordinator of Public Information for WSIU public broadcasting, activated an account. It may only be a temporary expedient -- eventually the station's Public Information will have its own home, like SIU News Service -- but it's a start.

I'm hoping others will follow Monica's lead, and City staffers who currently send out press releases by email will take a minute (literally) to cut and paste them into the Shawnee Net "City of Carbondale" blog. . . . Ditto the Chamber of Commerce, the Arbor District, the Boys & Girls Club, and the rest, who aren't active in the blogosphere.

A Month of Mondays

Usually, a blog post begins with a title, and sometimes a better title is suggested as the post develops. This title has probably been used before. Shall we google it? Appears no one has written a book with that title yet, but there is a band by that name, and bunch of other stuff -- but no book. Here's the concept: two drinking buddies go to 30 different pubs, one per week, for 30 Mondays, sampling the micro-brews from hither and yon. Snap a photo of the building, a few interior shots, and some quotes from the bartender. It's a concept that might work in other venues and other days, such as "A Fortnight of Fridays" visiting restaurants that serve fish. I feel another blog coming on.

CSS Investigation

Through the power of cascading style sheets (CSS), more color and texture have been added to this blog. The backgrounds are details of Victor DeGraff sand paintings, like this .

The sand painting textures are only experimental; eventually, something more locally-themed will be used.

In like a lion . . .

The old saying that the month of March "comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb" is half true, so far. Another storm front looms. Not as bad as the first ice storm in February, but freezing rain is in the picture, and more snow on Friday. The weather has not disrupted Greyhound bus service, nor has it set back plans to move the agency office in May.

Yesterday, I met the gentleman who runs the BP station on East Main St., and we all but sealed the deal. Someone from the DE contacted me, too, but -- until the contract is signed -- the announcement is not official. You'll be the first to know, Bloggee. The tentative opening day is May 1. Maybe we can have a ribbon cutting, you know, something different, like instead of ribbon, cut a length of tire inner tube.

The Lion-Lamb saying about March is offered as an example of Axiomatic Project Managing by consultant Carl Pritchard, as a way to build professionalism. Carl says we choose maxims which resonate with us and apply them in our daily lives. Safety first is one example. Some might call it a mantra, the thing(s) we tell ourselves repeatedly.

"If you find a few that resonate with you, they can become your signature. They can become a small component of what you represent. . .

My mantras are lyrics of Todd Rundgren songs. I think it's good to keep your mantra(s) secret. On the other hand, Pritchard is talking about maxims and wise sayings that have stood the test of time, like Benjamin Franklin's classic Lack of care does more harm than lack of knowledge. About the March saying, Pritchard speculates

In like a lion... So many projects start that way. Blustery. Confused. Cold. Relationships uncertain. The future looking downright Arctic. And yet, is it not those projects that (because of the investments we make in making them right) that go out like lambs? And conversely, those that we ignore or consider "easy pickings" from the beginning turn into the "lions" at the end?"

True enough. But with news alerts from Google, unruly blogs can be tamed, easy as shepherd's pie.

February made me shiver

. . . with every ticket I delivered . . . no news of the home front, which I know you want. ;-) Instead I started a new blog about two of my favorite NBA teams, and updated several others: Graydog's Blog, the pro-Obama political blog In This Corner, the 9/11=.81 blog, the Hold the Sausage movie blog, the Colbwhat's'isname blog, and the pro-cannabis blog Hemp Sense. Meanwhile, local blogs requiring attention include the Bike 2 the Future blog, On The Square Online, Bark to the Future, and Heartland Artland.

Thinking of launching a new pop culture blog, to comment on American Idol and other TV shows, such as Craig Ferguson (what's with that guy? He's manically funny. Just discovered him, but can't stand watching very long. Jimmy Kimmel still rules that time slot on my TV, especially since his recent sexy video of him with Ben Affleck If you haven't seen it, first watch Sarah Silverman's video about her "fucking Matt Damon."). I could call the new pop culture blog The Idle American, if the name is not already in use. It is. Maybe Procrastination Nation is available. I'll look it up next month.

March time's on.

Plate techtonics

The circus metaphor of spinning plates on sticks provides an overview of my entrepreneurial activity. The plates represent different projects, and the sticks are blogs created to whip the projects into shape. Sometimes, a plate can wobble through inactivity, and fall to the ground, like homeofthedome.com, and cyberdale.us, two spur-of-the-moment domains obtained, inspired by my own rhetoric! ;-), like with walterwendler.com a few years ago.

If spun the right way, the plates become frisbees flying into receptive minds of readers and consumers, as in the case of Marry the Mayor dot com, which got too big for its breeches and eloped.

The simple plate provides another metaphor for action: turn it over, and it's heaped with food, a 'full plate' of things to do.

Spinning plates and having a full plate are metaphors for effort, even when the plate feels like a manhole cover:

1. Updating Shawnee Net web site and revisiting long-dormant blogs, improving formats and adding Google ads. Makes sense!
   
2. Carbondale After Blog b(l)ook --this plate is on the back burner, due to limited writing time. Last week, I used free software called Sprout to make a Flash-based promo, including an audio clip of City Councilman Joel Fritzler's take on blogs, and posted it on Shawnee Net. And speaking of sprouts:
   
3. Vegetable House -- The seed for this project was planted in 1995: a film script about the comic comeuppance of meat-eaters and vegetarians on a college campus. Although the story is set in a fictional town, there will also be some recognizable C'dale figures making an appearance. Brad Cole as a sarcastic waiter? Walter Wendler as manager at Wendy's? And who will play the role of "Holiest Man Alive"? Treesong?
   
4. Sands of Time -- Selling "sand prints" of sand paintings by (the late, great) Victor DeGraff, especially the painting of the now-demolished Stage Company building, colored with actual brick from the building. The prints are printed on special sandpaper, so the feel of the original is reproduced.
   
5. Two new volumes of Between the Rivers local music compilations: of keyboard virtuoso's (piano and organ) and vocalists. The web site needs a spin or two.
6. Move the local Greyhound bus station to a better location on Main St. in May, when the lease expires on the current space on N. Washington St.
   
7. Open an Ebay sales service in the Washington St. space when the Greyhound ticket office moves out.
8. This year's Bike 2 Work Day is rolling around. Last year's event led to the creation of a new domain spokesfolks.info, which has been dormant. It should be redirected to the Bike 2 The Future blog or vice versa.
   
9. St. David's Day will be here in 9 days. On March 1, everyone should drink some amber colored ale or lager -- to commemorate a Celtic Saint! Why wait until March 17 to green beer? Amber is better. This year, I'll repost the "St. Dave's Day" stuff I wrote in the mid-90's, before the internet ruled. The Beer Philos'pher has created a cool social network web site called Aleluminati, that's really taken off in two short weeks, with about 66 members worldwide, counting The BP's wife. ;-)
10. Least, but not last, the long dormant, cobweb-ridden Shawnee Shopping store got a spin from the Southern Illinois Specialties lady yesterday. Look for more changes on that site soon.
    

Spinning plates is also called 'multi-tasking', which isn't as vivid a phrase. But "task" is the operative term. Each item on the list has many details to get done . . . important details like finding a cameraman and actors for the Rugby tournament on April 5, and changing the orange color of the beer in St. Dave's mug to amber.

Hopefully, this post will keep this blog spinning, as I get on the stick for those other projects.

Well thawed-out script

The ice is slowly melting . . . side roads are still treacherous in spots; my bicycle went our from under me on a side street at 6 a.m., but the morning Amtrak crew for the morning Amtrak has been on time everyday despite the storm. The Greyhound bus schedules to Carbondale didn't run for 2 days, although the local office was open.

Obama's fired up, and so am I! Some people (exaggeraters like Jeff Rense) are negative about him, like with Cole, but for different reasons. They say he sez he'd invade Pakistan to get Osama, if there were actionable intelligence. Unfortunately, Bush has given the phrase "actionable intelligence" a bad name, although it's not a bad band name.

I'm fired up for different reasons than Barack. Now that the writers' strike is over, I can begin revising the script for Vegetable House. Since it was originally penned (literally) in 1999, it needs updating, with more t(r)opical and hip references.

Casting is currently underway. Looking for a Stephen What's-'is-name look-alike for starring role. Will begin shooting on April 5, at the All Fool's Rugby Tournament.

Think I'll add a blogger to the story. A female geek named "Meg O'Lomania" played as a cross-dressing Arab. Going for campus cult classic: Animal House meets Dogma.

Master of your domain

No, not that domain. ;-) The other day, I got an email from a guy who owned the dot.com domain names for two well-known people in town -- wanting to know if I'd be interested in acquiring them. I didn't ask how much, because I wasn't interested. I think because I own Walter Wendler dot com, he thought I'd want to speculate on others. No.

I never pay more than $10 for a domain name. Yesterday, I purchased the domain name "holdthesausage.com" for the film I'm working on. Two years ago, I bought my own name domain.

How about you, Bloggee? Are you "master of your domain"? If not, go to GoDaddy and see if it's available. Then you can have your own home page, or redirect it to another site, as I did with walterwendler.com.

Sand man passes

My friend Victor DeGraff, the sand painter, died suddenly on Tuesday, driving home from Art Lovers Trading Company, after dropping off a drawing by a fellow artist for an upcoming show. His car crashed into a ditch on Cobden Road. Victor was 87 years old, with a heart condition

His heart condition was he loved life -- especially art, music and good movies. . . and dining with friends.

Victor was a very active man. Not just "for his age" but for any age. As an artist, he was prolific, always working on a new sand painting or design idea. Like the man, his art is ageless.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours scanning & uploading his bird paintings. Today, I'll do the cave paintings; then the landscapes, seascapes, and abstract designs over the weekend.

Prints of most his paintings will be available through Art Lovers.

I'll miss Vic. He was a special friend.

Cole for Rudy

I see where Rudy Giuliani got one delegate. It could have been our own Mayor Brad Cole, who was listed on the Republican ballot as a delegate of Rudy. Must be a Mayor to Mayor thing. Brad probably would have supported John Lindsay back in the day. A Mayor has ever been elected President, though a few have run.

I consider Cole 'a friend of the show', so I overlook his card-carrying Republican politics (as he forgives my free-thinking ways). If he can engineer the revival of the Varsity Theater, he can drag me to a Giuliani rally, for all I care. Since Rudy has thrown his support to John McCain, he's positioning himself to be Vice-Presidential nominee. Wanna bet?

And if the 72 yr old McCain kicks the bucket, it's Ghoulie time, baby.

Split decision

Now that a certain project has been relegated to a better place, this blog can focus once again on me -- what I'm thinking and doing where, with whom, and sometimes why.

Yesterday's "Super Tuesday" electoral results were disappointing since I hoped Barack would win decisively, but apparently, it was a split decision: Top Democrats Trade Victories. CNN thinks the results may help Obama. We can hope.

Another split decision is with my girlfriend of four years, so I'll be solo at the WDBX Zodiac Ball. I'll be feeling kinda low, because my idea to rename our fair City went "down the old Carbondale - Paducah Corridor," as the saying goes.

The Heiress dumps on You-know-who!

As a rule, I don't publish comments that use one of George Carlin's 7 dirty words. Or negative statements without some glimmer of support. But "The Heiress" sez the phrase "Paducah-Carbondale Corridor" sounds like the lower portion of her intestinal track and "the idea to name anything after Colbert" is (hold your ears and nose, Bloggee) an 'equally shitty idea.' Ouch.

Of course, it is ridiculous to rename Carbondale You-know-what-dale. Yet the process is instructive, and leads to interesting byways. I'm guessing those who hate the idea do not watch the Colbert Report, or 'get it', if they do. Stephen's an acquired taste, but his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2006 won me over.

Now I see where he will be a special guest at a New Jersey theater gala, at $350-$500 a plate. How cool would it be for him to come to the 'Dale! Theater lovers hereabouts would gladly throw down $35 - $50 per plate to raise money for The Jackson County Stage Company, which will need thousands to refurbish the Varsity Theater.

In any event, "Please God Make It Stop" has upped the ante to $25 to stop writing about You-know-what-dale in this blog. He can donate it to The Stage Company.

So that's it, no more waiting for Colbert in this blog.

And the phrase "down the old Paducah-Carbondale Corridor" might take on a Munsonesque meaning as a silly idea that goes down the crapper.

Stop in the name of Colbert?

This morning, Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole was interviewed by Tom "Cap" Miller on the Morning News radio show on WJPF. Cole is thrilled with the great exposure on ESPN GameDay at the SIU Arena. "a great day for Carbondale," he said. . . . But would it be as great as a minute on the Colbert Report? I seriously doubt it (unless I'm joking).

Others have suggested other names, including "Carbonjail" and "Carbon'd Ale" (a beer inspired name), but neither have the media oomph that Colbert has.

In his interview with Cap, Mayor Cole also said the City is investigating renaming streets to honor local people -- and famous people like Martin Luther King, Jr. A few years ago Green Street was renamed "James and Thelma Walker Ave." Maybe instead of renaming the entire City "Colbertdale," Main St. could be renamed "Paducah-Carbondale Corridor Avenue." Or perhaps the local bus stop could be named in his honor.

Which reminds me, yesterday I put a "Donate" button on this page for the "Colbertdale (Non-)Action Fund," to make it easier for "No Dear God No, Make It Stop." ;-)

Super 2 Days

It doesn't get more Super than last Super Sunday, with the incredible 4th quarter pass play and Giant victory. Although no giant victory is expected for the players on Super Tuesday.

Be Flexible . . . Vote for non-candidate Kucinich?

When it comes time to cast your ballot tomorrow, don't forget to think about voting for Dennis Kucinich instead -- to send a message to Obama -- a message which states Chris Wissmann is staking his claim:

[T]he political left is the so-called center, however paradoxical that sounds. . . . Basically, even if they find the man himself unpresidential, Americans support Kucinich's viewpoints.

So vote for Kucinich! Or think about it. And think about how liberal Wissmann is -- urging us to telephone out-of-state friends to vote for Obama, while voting for Kucinich (who has dropped out of the race) in Obama's home state! Flexibly, Wissmann reasons

Obama's very inevitability may give Illinois voters flexibility of which they should take advantage. Voting for Kucinich is the most productive way to do so.

For Chris, the Ohio Congressman "remains a symbol of what the Democrat Party used to represent."

And Obama doesn't? Apparently unmindful of the recent moving endorsement of Obama by Caroline Kennedy in the New York Times, Chris considers several angles before taking a shot at a conclusion. Yet if everyone followed his suggestion, Obama would lose Southern Illinois! So in reality I think the real message Wissmann wants us to get is: he's very liberal -- even more liberal than Rocky Obama.

Anyway, here are some key quotes from Wissmann's "Go-Bama" editorial in Nightlife.

Key quotes:

• Comparisons [of Obama] to Robert Kennedy are routine.
• Unlike Bill Clinton, [Obama] does not just use the language of liberalism in a bait-and-switch scheme to gain support for a fundamentally conservative agenda.
• Throughout the campaign Obama has tripped over this own tongue
• Illinois Democrats should consider casting ballots for Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich.
• a vote for Obama is just fine, and after the New Hampshire primary, which Obama lost despite surveys that gave him a double-digit lead, perhaps nobody should take the polls for granted.

I wonder if points #2 & #3 apply to the Councilman, himself -- on the principle that we often accuse others of things we are either guilty of, or aspire to. (Recall his frequent votes with conservative Republican Mayor Brad Cole, including one placing caps on malpractice claims a few years ago.)

Like Steve Miller calling Wissmann an "editor supreme" in this week's issue of Carbondale Times. Based on that statement, Steve is on his way to becoming an "editor supreme"of the Times, as well as becoming an outstanding stand-up comic.

I'd rather see Obama gain the greatest plurality in the history of Illinois primary elections; 90% or so. That would send a much stronger message.

I am Colbertdale & so can you

A commenter called "Carbondale=Ghetto" writes ALL CAPS about how dumb it is to rename Carbondale "Colbertdale" for a day (to honor "the Father of the Paducah-Carbondale Corridor"). C=G probably wouldn't complain if I suggested "Ghettodale" instead of "Colbertdale."

Along that line, Chris Wissmann's anti-Ron Paul editorial in this week's Nightlife reports: "When at a demonstration Al Sharpton called for the renaming of New York City after Martin Luther King, one of Paul's newsletters offered these alternatives: Welfaria, Zooville, Rapetown, Dirtburg, and Lazyopolis."

But Sharpton has a point: Instead of forcing "Colbertdale" on people who do not know Stephen Colbert (and think his name is pronounced COLE-bert, instead of Coal-BEAR), there could be a contest -- in the comments of this blog. What would be the best alternate name for Carbondale? (So we don't have to change the baseball caps, it should begin with "C".)

But until someone comes up with a better name, or the laughable offer by "Make it stop" is sextupled (paid for NOT writing, I love it!), I will continue planting seeds of honor to the man I like to call "The Barack Obama of fake news pundits."

Snow stops bus; Show goes on

Got an early morning phone call from Lucy in Vienna that the Greyhound bus to St. Louis won't make its scheduled stop in Carbondale this morning. Schedule 4700 got canceled in Clarksville, KY. That will be bad news to the people waiting at the Amtrak station for the bus to arrive.

In more upbeat news, the idea is still in play to rename the City of Carbondale after Stephen Colbert, Father of the Paducah-Carbondale Corridor -- Colbertdale -- for just one day; I plan to bring it up to the mayor the next time we play golf together (which won't be today . . . or ever . . . since neither of us plays golf).

I still like the idea of selling "I Slept in Colbertdale, Illinois" tee-shirts to benefit the Stage Company which will need a lot of money to help restore the Varsity Theater. The only problem with that idea is that if you didn't sleep in Carbondale on the night when Carbondale became "Colbertdale," then the message on the shirt would not be accurate. Another shirt could have a different message: "I Didn't Sleep in Colbertdale, and Never Will." That should do it.

Another project, the "Washington St. Hip-Hope" Street Fair to benefit the Tuscan Lodge is on schedule for late Spring, early Summer. Date TBA. (The name of the event may be changed, too, since it isn't carved in paper yet.

What else is new? I finally got the Shawnee Net home page fixed. Now all it needs is more content. The local news aggregator is nice, but needs better organization.

Been making progress on my blook. Created promotional widget including a sound-byte by City Councilman Joel Fritzler. Also signed up with LuLu Press to print copies on demand. Now all I need to do is finish writing. It won't be easy.

My "Vegetable House" script is being dusted off to shoot some scenes for a promo-trailer. Last night I met with Lucky Oldload, the Rugby Unit Manager, about shooting the Rugby scenes on April 1, when about 20 schools will be in town for a tournament.

The other scene I want to shoot is a concert at the Shawnee Saltpetre Cave south of Murphysboro, and some local beauty spots.

Although the story takes place in a fictional town called "Karmadale, Kentucky" much of film will be shot here in Southern Illinois. In the film, Karmadale is home of Southern University of Central Kentucky. I'll have Gusto's Van -- the man behind John Belushi's famous "COLLEGE" tee-shirt (from Animal House) -- work out the acronym for a tee-shirt.

The script, while timeless, was written in 1998-99, and the world has changed since then, so the script needs retooling to reflect those changes. More topical one-liners and references. Also, casting the right person to play "the holiest man alive" (as named by 'Steeple Magazine', I'm not making this up! Oh wait, yes I am). Of course no spiritual leader worth his salt would accept such a role. So it will have to go to a comedic actor of great skill to pull it off. Someone like, oh I don't know . . . someone who happens to be in town the day the City is named after him.

If Colbert is unavailable, perhaps a look-alike whose stage name is, let's say, "Steven Coldair." Yeah, that's the ticket.

UPDATE: Do you believe in serendipity? After writing the above paragraphs above, walking on Oak St. to Washington St., I met a Stephen Colbert look-alike headed on foot to Longbranch!

"Rocky's" speech wows Wonkette

Wonkette 'hopes' we like Obama's Victory Speech from South Carolina. Posted on YouTube, in case you missed it.

It will be great to hear him speak to us for a 4 year term or two-- as President of the U.S.! (He'll put the "us" back into the U.S.).

If he keeps winning elections and making magnificent speeches, Letterman will have to come up with a new bit (YouTube) next year, and Will Smith can get to work on the biopic.

Not sure which nickname I like better for Barack: "Barry" (like in his HS yearbook) or "Rocky" which has more gravitas and "Yes We Can" winning-against-odds appeal. And the first syllable of "Barry" doesn't sound like 'BAH-rock', the way his name is actually pronounced. Gotta go with Rocky, or 'The Rock', except there's already an entertainer using that name (who just happens to look like Obama on steroids. If Barack is elected, look for an SNL sketch along those lines.)

On to Super Tuesday, where it looks close.

Candles in the 'Dale

There's still some negativity in the Bytelife blog about Carbondale that I don't understand. Like calling Carbondale "Colehell" in the comments, which is neither amusing, nor accurate: Mayor Cole is not responsible for the awful intersection at Mill and Illinois. That problem was caused by City Manager Jeff Doherty. But Cole created Friendship Park, where pedestrians can sit, and red-lighted motorists have a pleasant view of sculpture by Alden Addington. . . . So what is wrong with the City that a little positive thinking can't help? "Better light a candle than curse the darkness," right?

Greg Cook the Portable Warehouse king, and his wife Nancy, just lit a huge candle under the Saluki Way project-- donating one million dollars, announced yesterday. Must be a lot of money in the warehouse biz. Greg is also one of the investors in the newly formed 1187 Creative agency, with offices in Carbondale and St. Louis. He'll probably be at the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner tonight at the Civic Center, which should be a cool event -- with dinner, awards, and music by the Ivas John Band to get everyone up and dancing.

Another candle lighter, Chamber director Meredith Rhoads is not just full of helium when she says (in high-pitched voice): "I wanted to give something back to the members, so we can celebrate the success of the past year." (Where's my digital recorder when I need it?)

Other candle lighters will be at the Chamber dinner, too. "Business of the Year" will go to Dan Terry, for the Newell House restaurant restoration .

African-American Museum directors Corene and Milton McDaniel are Citizens of the Year.
The Leader of the year: Greg Sprehe, Compac International
Bus. Pres. Service Award: Jeff Doherty.
The Regional Business of the Year: Short Enterprises.

Scaled down

This story in The Southern: Build Local Legoland? about a guy wanting to build a Legoland(r) Theme Park got a ton of comments. Mostly derisive. Dennis Smith should think about scaling down his project to something diorama-size. He could have an attraction the size of the world's smallest chapel in Nashville, IL.

The way renaming Carbondale to "Colbertdale" after Stephen Colbert was scaled back . . . to just one day.

I mentioned it to the Amtrak crew this morning, and they think it's a good idea. (Humoring me.)
There'd be a special sign at the Station. (And if the change occurs on a Sunday, no Postal change would be necessary.)

Have you heard about the sculpture being planned for the east-side of the train station tracks? Mayor Cole has asked Nancy Stemper of Carbondale Community Arts and Debbie Moore of the Convention & Tourism Bureau to come up with something. The final design has not been chosen, so I'll suggest a life-size statue of Colbert in the mix. Perhaps Victor DeGraff could fashion one of sand, like in Myrtle Beach, but more statuesque, and permanent.

Some may question Colbert's worthiness, but he is the Father of "the Paducah-Carbondale Corridor" (in conversation with songwriter Randy Newman, a Paducah-Carbondale Corridor specialist. Hear the .mp3 clip).

If the City of Carbondale is too short-sighted to rename itself to honor the greatest living American -- and friend of Carbondale -- to get the famous Colbert bump, then maybe Dennis Smith would like to open the Colbertdale Mini-Legoland(r) in Colp, IL, whose 224 residents might enjoy the boost.

Greenstreet on Main St.

The former Arthur Agency CEO, and founder of 1187 Creative, contacted me today about my recent posts about the changes at the agencies.

I've known Jon Greenstreet from the Dunn-Richmond Center where he facilitated economic development, and from his Bike Surgeon days. A young man who has put his MBA to good use, Greenstreet -- and the rest of the 1187 team -- is moving into soon-to-be renovated offices on the second floor of the Newell House building (Bening Square to old timers). This photo is the view from of the corner office, on Washington & Main, where (by clicking on the image, you can see the Arthur Agency office from out the window to the right.)

Jon was amused that the illustration of him and three other former Arthur employees is still on the Arthur web site. He said all four in the picture (along with five others) have joined 1187 Creative, which is also opening an office in the Soulard district of St. Louis. He said the new agency has many new accounts. He also said some law suits and counter lawsuits have been filed by the two companies. Sounds like a story for Steve Binder!

I better get to work on a substitute graphic, in case Arthur Agency wants to change it -- replacing Jonny G with me. ;-)

UPDATE:
In addition to Greenstreet, the founders of 1187 include: Zak Ouart, and Kay Dosier.

The investors in 1187 include: Greg Thompson, Greg Cook, Chase Butler and Rob Vitale

The other team members of 1187: Russ Gruber, Ben Ouart, Sara Holman, Lindsey Cox, Christy Pogorelac, Herb Voss

Applying myself

Yesterday, I stopped-and-popped into the Arthur Agency, on Jackson St. (pictured at left) where Heather, the receptionist, told me some of what has happened since former CEO Jon Greenstreet left the agency, taking some key personnel along, to form 1187 Creative.

Craig Williams, of Pinckneyville, the man behind Community Link, has bought a share of Arthur, and Dennis Poshard is still President, and acting CEO. The 1187'ers took some accounts with them, but Arthur Agency still has the Southern Illinois (Marion) Miners contract.

Even though I don't "do paper" (except for cash & tissue), I took an application home with me in my back pocket. Looking at it now, but won't fill it out. I've known Craig Williams since 1982, when he was with Silkworm, and later when he had an office behind Hair Brains in the mid-90's. He knows my work. I don't need no application. If Craig or Dennis -- or even Jon -- want to hire me, here i am.

P.S. In the graphic posted on the Arthur Agency web site, that's Jon Greenstreet's likeness in the blue shirt walking toward the entrance. Perhaps instead of filling out an application, I should photoshop him out of the picture, and put myself there in his place.

Grin and Colbert it?

Some readers are puzzled by this blog's current obsession renaming the City of Carbondale "Colbertdale," in honor of comedian Stephen Colbert, father of the "Paducah - Carbondale Corridor" and host of the Colbert Report. An anonymous commenter (perhaps speaking for many) would like to see more posts "about what people are thinking, feeling, saying and doing in The 'Dale," adding "Pictures are great, too!"

Yes, and audio-video, also. I'll get right on that.

I hear that Carbondale's Arthur Agency has lost some key personnel to a competing agency called 1187 Creative. Judging from the list on the Carbondale Main Street home page, most of the original Arthur staff -- including the CEO, Jon Greenstreet -- have defected to set up shop on the 2nd Floor of the Newell House building. I should pop in to see if either agency can help sell my blook online.

Speaking of online, it's hard to tell what Caleb Hale, Online Editor at the Southern Illinoisan. is thinking or feeling, 'cause his blog is behind the times. No new podcast since Jan. 4.

And speaking of behind The Times, I read Chris Wissmann's "Four Corners" report in Nightlife today. The headlines:

• A Change is Gonna Come

Key quote: "In addition, look for canned-food drives to take place throughout the community through Friday, January 25. Donations will benefit area food pantries and banks."

• More Incoherent Smoke Signals -

Key quote: "Unfortunately, such pious concerns smack of hypocrisy, since those legislators overwhelmingly passed a law that didn't provide for due-process in the first place."

• Healing Herb?

No key quote. But why the question mark about medicinal marijuana?

Speaking of local newspapers editors, I saw Jerry Bradley at the Neighborhood Coop yesterday, looking happy he was no longer editor of Carbondale Times, where former editor Steve Miller (former editor, longtime writer) is on the job. . . . Steve's a good guy. He also writes reviews as 'Bryan' Miller, and performs stand-up comic gigs. I told him I was a comedian, too. He said he'd heard that.

The thing about being an entrepreneur-comedian -- an compreneuredian -- is folks can't always tell if you're serious or not. Like renaming Carbondale "Colbertdale." Of course, I am serious. Serious about entertaining the possibility. Change the name for one day? How many petition signatories would it take? How much $ would it cost the City? How many "I Slept in Colbertdale, Illinois" tee-shirts could sell, as fund-raiser for the Varsity Arts Center?

Naming right(s)

Can a dumb idea be good publicity? It seems most people think it's silly for the City of Carbondale to change its name. But many other cities have successfully accomplished it!

Why change it at all? The wikipedia sez "the name "carbon" comes from Latin language carbo, coal, and in some Romance languages, the word carbon can refer both to the element and to coal.
And coal is still important to the region

Last year, a Colorado town estimated it would cost nearly $1 million to change its name, according to the Rocky Mountain News: Costly name change considered to alter Commerce City's image. A local poll showed voters preferred "Stink Town" 54% (indicating the unreliability of unscientific polls, or the power of Commerce City's stench.) In March, 2007, the locals voted 890 for a name change and 1980 against.

So, yeah, maybe it's a bad idea to change the City of Carbondale's name. Would changing it to "Colbertdale" be worth a million dollars worth of publicity? If not, how much money would it take to convince the Carbon-ites to change? A billion? Enough to upgrade The Arena, fix the classrooms, and finance The Varsity renovation? Couldn't the City be renamed Cartoondale for that kind of money?

And what about Stephen Colbert? Aren't any nay-sayers thinking of how best to honor the man who gave us 'the Paducah-Carbondale Corridor'? (audio clip) Change a Street name? How about calling the alley that runs from Castle Perilous to City Hall the "Colbert Corridor"? When Stephen visits, the limo can take that route to the Civic Center.

Smoke- free, Blowin' smoke

Last night, I descended to one of Carbondale's oldest watering holes, The Cellar, for a beer with friends. My first taste of Smoke-Free bar -- and it was clearly better than last year's smoke-filled atmosphere, suffusing clothes and skin with smelly smokiness.

Of course, the topic of renaming the City of Carbondale came up. The suggested name that got the biggest response was "Coleville," but my choice is still "Colbertdale," because it honors a great American, Stephen Colbert, whose television show, The Colbert Report, scores high among the demographic market so vital to SIU and Carbondale. No, not the senior retirees being courted by the mayor, but the 18-22 age group.

Undoubtedly, those who hate Carbondale's future progress will oppose renaming it, while those who love the new name will sign petitions.

So far, the petition and survey are bare bones, but businesses like The Bank of Carbondale and Carbondale Cycle should probably be thinking about changing their letterheads.

C is for Kookie

People are intrigued at the idea of renaming the City of Carbondale to something cooler. But to what? It must begin with "C" so "SIUC" can remain. Might be good to keep the "dale" part, too. Something like "Cooldale" . . . but cooler.

Colbertdale is my choice -- after comedian Stephen Colbert (pronounced Cole-BEAR) since he would then feature "Colbertdale" on his popular tv show -- giving the entire town the Colbert "bump." (If you don't know what the Colbert bump is, I probably can't help you, but this link will explain.)

Other towns have changed their names with good results. If it gets to City Council vote, the City staff will have the facts and figures, pro and con.

Of course, the change won't be made over night. The entire process could take six months or longer -- from the date of this post 'til the new "Haven't You Heard" coffee cups come out with "City of Colbertdale" logo on cup. (After a contest for a new logo.)

Before it's put to vote by City Council, a Carbondale Chamber of Commerce survey and a petition will be necessary. I'll work up drafts of each, to get the cookie rolling, and maybe a new title for my blook.

Transmuting Carbon to Cool

Ever since the writers' strike, it's been difficult for me to come up with things to write and say. Must be subconscious solidarity with the Writers Guild which wants a fairer share of DVD residuals. Even my quips to the bank tellers at Schnuck's have lost their currency.

Nevertheless, my meeting with the Mayor went well. We always have a laugh or two, as I quiz him on 'what's up'. . . . Not much, it seems, except for hiring a new City Manager; hopefully one who's a little more creative than our current one; someone a little more Doc Severinsen than Tommy Newsom, if you know what I mean.

After City Hall, I visited the Chamber of Commerce office across the street to get the latest business news from the Executive Director (annual banquet is coming up -- same night as the Kid Rock concert in Evansville, unfortunately).

Carbondale is lucky to have two dynamic young leaders like Brad Cole and Meredith Rhoads. But what is the duo doing? For one thing they are collaborating on a project that will do more good for Carbondale than a barrel full of Stephen Colberts. They just don't know what it is yet.

Speaking of the writers strike, Stephen Colbert is getting the job done without writers. The critics say his return to the Colbert Report was a "knock out."

Coincidentally, the first page of "Colbert" in Google Images came up the photoshop I did of Stephen and Brad Cole meeting!

Perhaps that could be the big project Cole and Rhoads collaborate on: Renaming the City of Carbondale to something cooler . . . another "C" word, so the initials SIUC would still be valid. Such an effort would put C'dale on the map in a positive and fun way.

A survey, petition and contest would be in order, but not necessarily in that order.

Meredith can whip up a survey; while I drum up a petition; and Brad can contest the findings.

New and Improved

Have you checked out TheSouthern.com lately? The New and Improved web site has links to blogs, video and audio. And online editor Caleb Hale is blogging and podcasting. His Weekender podcast on New Year's resolutions, got me thinking about what "spectacularly stupid" words he may have spoken to his wife that haunt his marriage to this day. ;-)

Don't we all have things we'd like to unspeak or undo? But since we can't, we move on. As Confucius say "Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Like the myth of Sisyphus, doomed to push a boulder up a mountain for eternity. When he reached the top, it would roll down again (too bad for Zig Ziglar). Yet, as the author of a famous essay on this myth believed, despite his absurd existence, Sisyphus is "happy."

And one must imagine that Southern.Com Online Sales Manager Shawn Connelly is happy, too. ;-)

O's Iowa victory speech

Obama's victory has given hope to many. Not to too many, though, just enough. If you missed his victory speech in Iowa, it's posted in Sam Graham-Felsen's blog.

Barack & K. Rock

Don't want to make too much of yesterday's Iowa Caucus result, but I must've had psychic dyslexia when I picked a Clinton-Obama dream ticket months ago. Clearly it's Obama-Clinton, or Obama-Edwards, or Obama-and anyone else. The Republican field is so lame, except for Ron Paul. It's definitely time for change! Sweep the White House halls and closets clean of all the cobwebs, ghosts, and skeletons.

Listening to Kid Rock as I write. He's been on TV a lot lately, with a full concert schedule, including one in Evansville this month. Who knew he was so deep? Check out his song "Amen." Been listening to all the songs on his new album Rock & Roll Jesus. I wonder if he backs Barack, who has a messianic message of his own!

In conclusion: Kid Rock rocks, and Barack will roll to victory in November.

Back to bussics

It's good to be home. This month the details will be ironed out for moving the local Greyhound office to the BP Station on East Main Street (where Scott guessed in a comment), with a March or February moving date. This will mean the busses can stop at the same location where rides buy tickets, instead of blocks away. The dudes at Amtrak will appreciate that; and so will the customers.

Some interesting people buy bus tickets. Today, a radio personality named Chorsey bought a ticket to St. Louis, and a young woman named Bridget (that's "Bridge with a 't' she said) on her way to Arkansas.

Bridget had me read a poem by Peruvian poet Pablo Neruda (in English translation), a Ode to Artichokes.

Speaking of arty jokes, I read in Bytelife where City Councilman Joel Fritzler thinks Amtrak & Greyhound can share the current location. Is he kidding?!

My visit to Cooperstown

My plan to move to Oregon took another step forward last week, as I visited Portland over Christmas break -- taking an airplane, and leaving Greyhound bus behind for a week's vacation.

New Year's Eve at my daughter's condo, with her friend, and my son and his family. We listened to Ryan Adams Easy Tiger, and stared at Court (soon to be Tru-)TV and talked, until 'round about midnight, when Dick Clark's heir apparent, Ryan Seacrest, rang in the new year at the stroke of 12. I also learned who Hanna Montana was, thanks to my three-year old granddaughter, who had a doll that played the same lyrics when its belly-button was pressed, over and over . . .

If you could see
The other side of me
I'm just like anybody else, can't you tell?
I hold the key (the key)
To both realities
The girl that I want you to know
If only I could show
The other side...the other side
I want you to see
The other side...the other side
The other side of me

Ask me to sing it for you sometime. Or you can see Hannah perform entire song on YouTube.

My grand-daughter is very cute, as you can see by this photo at her tea. But I am biased because I'm not only 'Doodah', but also her agent. Isn't it time for a Minnie Minnesota? a Jane Maine? The SIU cap is her dad's, but she'll endorse other products or candidate for a cup of imaginary tea.

I saw a couple of streaks continue while in Portland, too. On Dec. 30 I saw the Trail Blazers defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, in a game that had a "posterizing" dunk that's already on YouTube. The next day the Patriots won their 16th straight on the TV at a sports bar called Lil Cooperstown.

The entire town of Portland could be renamed Cooperstown, too, because so many people still remember the hijacker D.B. Cooper, who boarded a plane to Seattle in 1971, and sky-dived out with $200,000 before the plane landed . 'Cooper' was the #1 "Where are they now" in Willamette Week's year-end review. Also last week, the FBI released a photo of a clip-on tie Cooper left behind when he baled -- a tie that contains DNA, they say. The case has never been solved. There have been several claimants to Cooper's golden parachute, but none have been accepted (or convicted) by the Bureau, which has re-opened the case.

In addition, the kid who found 5 grand of Cooper's stolen loot buried in the banks of the Columbia wants to auction his collection. (He got to keep half the stash he found; the other went to the insurance company.) The story is given in detail at Yahoo News: Finder hopes to sell '71 hijacking cash.

Speaking of open cases, my own suitcase came back full of music and boxes of Nature's Path cereal (to fill the space where Christmas gifts had been). I got several CDs while in Portland. Instant Karma-Save Darfur (covers of John Lennon tunes); I'm Not There (movie soundtrack; Dylan covers). The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots; Dion, Song of Skip James; Prince, Planet Earth; Blood Sweat & Tears first album Child is Father of the Man, "Raising Sand" a Robert Plant and Allison Kraus collaboration.

All in all it was a great trip. I got to spend time with family; and drink a lot of Starbuck's Americanos. My son and his wife are expecting a boy baby in March. I suggested the name Cooper.