Best Google EVER.

This made my day. HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY, SESAME STREET! Gosh, I love Big Bird.

On my way to where the air is sweet...

It is no secret that I believe Jim Henson to be the greatest artist of all time. He was a brilliant man who we lost too soon, but were lucky enough to catch what I believe to be only a glimpse of what he was capable of contributing to the world. So when I saw a poster on a walk down Lexington Ave. saying that Jim Henson's daughter was going to be speaking at the Asheville Puppetry Center's tenth birthday celebration, I had to go. (And bonus: Telly Monster from Sesame Street Talk was going to be there with puppeteer Marty Robinson) Talk about the universe lining up for you! So I bought a ticket and got all gussied up for the gala last weekend; what a FABULOUS event it was! (One of the best parts: the "adult" Sesame Street blooper reel! That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness!)

This is Jim Henson's youngest daughter, Heather. What an honor it was to meet her! I expressed how dear her father's work has been to me since I was young and she told me all about working with her father on puppets, sets, and being surrounded by such creativity. We talked about what kind of tools Jim used to cut out the sets on the Muppet Show. I was shaking with excitement by this point in the conversation.

And then I got to meet Marty and Telly (this was one of the originals, who is not in production anymore)...

Marty Robinson (such a fun guy!) also has played Mr. Snuffleupagus, Slimey the Worm, Buster the Horse, Oscar the Grouch's neice and mother. He also played the Farmer in (one of my all-time favorites) The Tale of the Bunny Picnic and the face of Leonardo in the original movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I know Telly is just fake fur and ping pong ball eyes. But he really does come to life in a way that made me want to talk to him. Marty is such a brilliant puppeteer (you should see his "puppet muscles")! And when I saw this tag...well, I had an actual momentary loss of breath.

Happy Valentine's Day. :o)

Valentine's Day. It's a day that I love to hate, but admittedly, I hate to love it too. I've always thought it to be a made-up day, created by Hallmark, to boost the economy of cards and stuffed animals, but have secretly enjoyed a gift, if done cleverly (you may recall my downright hate for stuffed animals and carnations-grrr.). I am always stuck in the middle between despising the commercialization of red hearts and doilies, and just...loving love. Why do we need a holiday to tell the one we love that they are special? I laughed at the lines of men at the store today, buying crappy boxed chocolates and tacky bear-in-mug-with-fake-rose gifts. But then I also smiled at the sight of couples, who seemed to be walking a little bit closer together today, and the occasional red heart balloon tied to a mailbox. Sure, it's a dumb holiday, but all of this is also nice to see.

Even nicer to see were all the fun surprises I got, which of course make this holiday that I am oh-so-cynical about seem a whole lot cooler. Thanks Anna, for the Ninja Turtle valentine. Thanks Rox and Cindy for the glittery card. Thanks dad, for the Sesame Street card (WHICH I can flip over and color the back of!). Thank you Cheyenne for the fun yellow flowers. There was an unexpected delivery of sushi to my door yesterday that I'm going to bunch in with those gifts, too...since the note read Happy early Valentine's Day. (And, as I was typing this, Horseshoe called to wish me a happy V-day, so that was a nice surprise, too!)

So...as a single woman, who is both gagging at the sight of the red roses AND somewhat wishing I had someone to make a stupid valentine for, I decided that I was going to enjoy Valentine's Day exactly the way I wanted to. I got a large, unsweetened iced tea. Two lemon slices AND a bendy straw. I went yard saling and stumbled upon a retro estate sale, where I sifted through old jewelry, books and costumes and scored some old magazines. (My favorite: a cake decorating magazine from 1978 that featured the Big Bird cake pan my mom used for my first birthday). I got some Cold Stone Creamery ice cream and strolled downtown, trying on shoes and dresses. I bought myself a new cute jumper. Then I got a tuna melt (oh yeah, I said tuna melt!) and drove down some windy roads through funky, intertwines trees and found a few spots to picnic on rivers and lakes. I let myself get lost, and lazily made my way home on the very sunny afternoon.

And now, I'm going to go throw on my new jumper and head to a "Screw Valentine's Day" dance up the street. I just heard word that the DJ is going to be spinning old school Michael Jackson hits—tuna melts AND Michael Jackson? I know...I am crazy!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Thai Smiley

Finally! P-town is getting it's own sushi joint. Thai Smile, or Thai Smiley as Jim and I renamed it last Saturday night on a jaunt down to the local bar to sing karaoke. (Sidenote: I sang "It's Still Rock and Roll to me" by Billy Joel--my first karaoke experience ever). So what better way to celebrate the yet-to-be determined opening of the new palace of raw fish? Why, with a poorly Photoshopped Muppet themed picture, of course. You all remember Guy Smiley from Sesame Street, don't you? I know, this might be slightly inappropriate, but when does that ever stop me?