Pirates Parties and Sales !

Here's what we're doing for 1st Night.... The Pigs !! The Parade !!
the magic guy !! Bamboooozle !!
Movies !! Pirates !!............
And after that I dunno.....I'm letting my mood guide me .....I may have some family traipsing along....and I expect to have fun fun fun.....
while visting as many people places and things as I can ....
The main concern for me is staying warm ! So, my ensemble will likely include Fur...maybe PI, but when have I ever been PC...
Me and some of my spawn were at the first First Night in Tacoma !!

Sale ? Did you say Sale ? All thru January all coats, jackets and sweaters are 20% off !
Yes ! Oh it gets better ...on 3rd Thursdays...50s % off Something Secret......I love sales......I thought I'd share the joy .......

Kind of The End of A Year !

Have a Vintage-y Holiday End-Of-The-Year ! And let's do it again...

Thank you all ! for a great year with funkoma vintage

********************

Without your support, kudos, interest, appreciation, and Dollars !

what a crappy year this would have been !

Tacoma-ites !

I hope to see you on weekends...at the shop ..
lots of new stuff is coming in ...more DIY, kids and furniture and house stuff....
and I'll be out and about ..having more fun.....

including

First Night !

In Downtown T-Town!

I Have So Much To Say !!!

(let's make a list)
1. Less vintage clothes
2. More childrens clothes and toys
3. More furniture & knick-knacks
4. More DIY...yours, mine & ours
5. Less days open....more time to make stuff....
6. More ART ! More bikes !
7. More sales (check the blog from time to time...)
8. Plants in season
9. More jewelry
10. A Happier Hostess !

And for First Night (I'll be there!) I'm making some custom Pirate coats & Hats.....And some real pretty sparkly party clothes !

Went Art Walking.....last thurs...saw so many people !!!
Bought a family membership at Tacoma Art PlaceSaw the helm, visited the Underground, up to Open Heart Coffee.....
ran into One of Our Favourite Hostessi..Laura...got an invite to see Fulcrum Gallery
Then a quick drinky-poo at The Monsoon........
and chatted with Derek and met more swell folks.
I so enjoy chatting with Derek.....he always makes me smile, laugh and think....
I'd show you some new pics but my floppy drive died, and I'll change it on Sunday
I can't figure out Marks cam, and I still need to learn the ropes with the Canon Ann gave me.....I just may give up my 12 year old Brick Of Pics...my Sony Mavica....

Visted the Top of Tacoma bar, ate hot dogs.......speaking of dogs...
my new Tigger is doing much better...he may have given up nipping.....
yeah!
Ate at Fergies a few times....Visited Red Hot.....the dogs were not that hot.
& since I don't drink beer or wine......well, I'm sure they are tasty. Get better Hot Dogs, please. Oh, I always enjoy sparring with Bender....If you haven't sparred with Bender, you must be new around here !
Remember Tacoma......I'm out and about and I'm watching you !
Added some new links for Tacoma-centric places to go and when time slows a bit
I'll add some great Dates for Exit 133 ..for all you folks who are new to Tacoma...
Mark & I are quite judgmental about where we eat out, and how we entertain ourselves.....we are Snobs! We like dives and old-school, but we do love El Groucho......
it's Old School.....that's why.......I'm sure they cringe when we stumble in.....too bad !!And I heard a word that almost describes us........Freegan.......
ha ! If we buy something, it's probably used. There is so much stuff produced in the past......really people..........Buy Recycled !!
After Xmas, I'll show what I bought/made for gifts for the few folks I gifted........most people...just got my love and wishes for a good life.....I haven't the time to buy/make something for everyone at Xmas......because I like to give all year round !!

-- 2 -- 2 Fun things in one...

One of my favorite blogs..Lulus vintage..did a lovely post about buying vintage for Christmas.....great advice for any holiday or birthday.....
Now on to Biba ..one of my favorite clothes designers....here's a vid..



And by way of Senorita Hollywood comes word of an article on Biba in this month's BUST ....

and take a trip to 60s London.....

Make A Fashion Statement.......I Do !!

While I have often said: I dress like Miss Havisham.....another of my style mavens are the Beales..or the 2 Edie's. ONe of the joys I hope to impart to you all is to dress like you feel.dress like you are having a party..dress like Life Is Gay...
Here's some YouTube vids to entertain you while I work one more day to put the shop back together for your Holiday Shopping Pleasure !

How Not To Be A Fashion Victim....

1. Ripped tights are last decade...and punk...but on older people they merely look unkempt....instead of edgy (not the look you were hoping for, I guess)
...so do not buy these from Anna Sui .......just diy if you must.

via fashion police blog

and while we're on the subject of Anna Sui, and we are, boycott her altogether.
Yeesh....
her whole designer life/career is using fashions of the past......
and lately  she based her Spring collection on BIBA...
rips off punks for the ripped thing.....
and then she files suit against other designers who are turning out
clothes similar to hers!
Can you say IRONY ?!?!
and here's a Law blog that discusses this penchant that designers
 have for using others for inspiration...in detail so I don't have to...
great minds think alike !

Water Water Everywhere ...

Now I don't have 10 feet of water over me....
The Tacoma Escape Clause....otherwise known as I-5....
But because someone didn't admit that the basement will flood at funkoma worldwide headquarters......we were caught with our waders off...and our basement flooded.
Small irritant...we didn't lose our home like so many in our area, but it's enough of a Peezer.
So, if you need a funkoma fix, check my ebay listings...Heres a peek....

40s Beaded Wool Coat

50s Beaded Bombshell Knit Dress

60s Mod Faux Fur Tiger Coat

Bonnie Cashin, Vintage Party, Cashmere, VBO, ebay

...and Cashmere and Sweaters

VBO right now !

Bonnie Cashin Leather * Emma Domb Vintage Party Dress

Lavender Cashmere Sweater

Beaded & Ribboned Sweater

Pink Mohair Sweater

It's Time to Reduce Recycle and Be Kinder

Well that's always been in style, doncha know !
and the major philosophy behind the M&T non-corporation partnership known to you all as funkoma vintage.....We like to take old stuff and resurrect it, re-wreck and re-store it and give it a new purpose....we've been living off the Trash of the Land for a long time....we were born this way.......picking up junk & castaways, and doing something with it..........

We did internships with Take Back Your Time Day.....which is a thinly-disguised attempt to de-consumer, get green, and subvert american-style capitalism and move this culture towards community values and thinking for the long term not just the next corporate quarter........
we've been photo'd and interviewed on the subject of this all...this re-do re-make and have a great life ......if I had more time I'd direct you to News Tribune archives to read all about us, and then there's the Organic farm I used to own and the features and gardening column I used to write for Tacoma Weekly and stuff......and I'll scan those articles and post them here as time goes by......
So !!! I am so thrilled to find this:freerice.com
Yup, play a game....feed a hungry person....Come on ...you're sitting there goofing off anyway......make it count for something......use your corporation's resources for a little Monkey Wrenching......

And once again... I took some time off and didn't return messages quick enough...and Niki Sullivan called me to chat about an old friend Dave Norton



....Mark and I dubbed him Bongo Boy....and he hates that name.....don't go there with Dave... We don't ........we still honk at Dave when he's out there.......we don't get to see him much....now that we don't live anywhere near the North End anymore...but we run into him now and then, and we shared a sweetly nostalgic meal a while back.
And Dave is out there..........Dave is a Genius............remember, you heard it first here. Dave was doing the Art Thing long before anyone one else in Tacoma......
*****************************************************************************************************************
Also, a Cute article in the News Trib about the most darling shoe style ....the classic Mary Jane... find a few here in the shop...all in excellent condition..from sizes 6 thru 8

The Trains In Spain Fall Mainly on The Sane

chug chug
this link is about last year's open house concerning the train crossing at Pacific and SWT so while not technically current, I find it hard to believe that Sound Transit has anything good up its sleeve....
Riding the coattails of Good For Greening the Environment, they are shoving trains down our throat......and I'm a huge fan of public transit....um, European style.

Here, in Tacoma, I don't trust that anything will be done right....The thinking went: Ok, we need 20 million in new money to circulate in Tacoma....so let's build CONDOS CONDOS CONDOS .....and now, they look like prisons or mental hospitals, or just plain ol butt ugly.

I've blogged on this before.....Portland did it right.....WHY? because when the pioneers crossed to the West Coast, the light and lovely stayed in Portland, while the bangers and the alcoholics went North, stopping in Seattle long enough to pee, and then on to Alaska......It's a forbidding mindset around these parts....

So now I don't trust any decision that is made by the Powers that Be in T Town...the idea that the city council allowed the MM bridge to go for so long....no one was "on it", and now, it is a Pyhrric victory to be able to blame the State for Bridge Neglect.

Hey, put me in charge of Pretty In Tacoma...but alas, I actually have to work for a living...so unless you are willing to pay me to do alllll the research that will be done (if we're lucky) by a Consulting Firm, and then the Powerful Choose The Best Idea.....well it will look Just Laughably Ugly....

Is no one going to stand up to Sound Transit, and say: Just because you think you are Friendly, doesn't mean you get to ruin a beautiful and heavily traveled neighborhood.
And come on ! Diesel is a dying technology. Even bio d. has its big problems.

I stole this pic from Kevin...the link is above. It shows the ugliness I fear that is coming to a T-Town near you !

Here is another link to a lovely view of the Pearl

And the history .....the blueprint....that Tacoma should have paid attention to.....but chose not to........

It may well be that the Pearl District will be the country’s best re-creation of Jane Jacobs’ idealized central city. With its short blocks, high density, pedestrian friendliness, mixed usage, restricted-income rentals, architectural variance, lively street activity, and the older buildings that survive, it has become a favorite object of study for planners and developers throughout the U.S. Ironically, it is the Pearl’s considerable economic success that is causing the greatest concern, as the trend toward off-the-chart rental/sale costs has the Pearl District rapidly becoming an exclusive enclave that is beyond the reach of average Portland residents and independent retailers. There are many concerns that the gentrification of the Pearl will result in weeding out the very diversity that makes the area so attractive.
from tndwest.com/pearldistrict.html

Bridge Neglect ! Talbert States the Obvious !

Since Today is the Anniversary of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse !!

Ok, well like I told ya a few posts down there...it's prima facie evidence that the state's decision to close the MM bridge is an admission of Bridge Neglect ! Bridge Neglect is a serious dilemma facing the public today !!!!!
And folks we got trouble...Right here in Tacoma city....

Let's recap ! State of Washington seizes control of the Murray Morgan Bridge
let's quote Walt Crowley's (rip) HistoryLink.org website:

The House Memorial notes that Murray Morgan was born in Tacoma on February 2, 1916, during a snowstorm. It reads in part:

"WHEREAS, Murray Morgan's penchant for meandering around the Puget Sound region, the Northwest, and the world on a shoestring and on the drop of a hat, and often with his wife of fifty plus years Rosa, has given rise to his historical tomes on Tacoma, Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula, the Columbia River, Grand Coulee Dam, the St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company, the Alaska gold rush, the 1962 World's Fair, and his most favorite topic, the Aleutian Islands; and

WHEREAS, by conveying his many interests and adventure in both written and verbal mediums, Murray Morgan has brought the world to Tacoma, and Tacoma to the world...

Man that's poetry...OK, today the state is awash in money thanks to the artificial support provided to the military/industrial complex otherwise known as Boeing/China/Iraq War that channels billions of dollars through our mud-slogged state and some of that chunk of change drops into state coffers......
Therefore, when Rick Talbert says: “It’s their bridge and it’s their neglect that put us in this position” , as the Tribune quotes from Tuesday's meeting.
I say:
Rick, that statement is as profound as saying that you have a nose in the middle of your face !!
There is no reason that the bridge should be torn down.....it is unique on the planet being a 1,748-foot steel truss vertical lift-span bridge that crosses the Thea Foss Waterway at an angle WOW ! Certainly that qualifies as a tourist attraction as wow-inspiring as Chihuly's Bridge of Glasses. This state has the money...this is a worthy thing to spend dollars on because it is HISTORY !!
You may say, oh sure funkoma vintage is history-obsessed.....Look at their name for crying out loud !! They are just vintage -festishists........and you would be right!
We are history obsessed. It was better in the old days for many things....not that slavery thing or those Reagan years that about killed me.

Old things, like the MM bridge, were built better with real ingredients using the human brain and the human muscle. All it demands is maintainence folks ! You know maintainence.....that's the thing that is opposite of The Throw Away Society we dwell in today. You know, make it in China with slave/exploited labor eerily similar to work conditions here in America about a hundred years ago, then ship it across the sea, harming the environment and upsetting the orcas and sell it at Wal-Mart where (because of its shoddy workmanship and crappy materials) it wears out and breaks and gets tossed in the landfill within a year of its manufacture date.

Unlike the MM Bridge, built in 1913 of real stuff as noted above, and BUT FOR a wee bit of maintainence, it would look pretty and be totally functional......But No !
Instead, Paula Hammond closes the bridge, and Lonergan fumes (but does not use the F*Bomb like Dick Cheney and Tom Stenger) and Jake Fey cracks wise while ribbing Lonergan and Talbert, who is Late to the comedy routine ensuing at Tuesday's Comedy Show, also known as Tacoma City Council Meeting, Talbert pipes up!
Yes, Rick, I could not agree more, and I already said it !!!!

Bridges of Size

Clicking the title link will take you to The Tacoma Historical Society website and please notice the clickable link on the left side to take you to the article titled : ~~~
Murray Morgan Bridge Saved
er, uh, wat ? I 99% support the City of Tacoma head-butting or suing the necessary people who Forgot To Maintain the MM bridge.....
(darn it, I can't believe I forgot to maintain the bridge)
because the fact that it had to be closed is pretty convincing evidence that it wasn't maintained.....ya know !
I loved that damn bridge.....Mark & I drove over it to get to one of our favorite spots in Ttown..and I have the pictures to prove it......




What is it with Tacoma and Bridges ??



Well, here's a little photo essay on footbridges....please enjoy !

Why Buy Vintage ??

Mmmm, because when you buy something that was made a long time ago,with materials that have been already harvested and finished......and with a good chance the shop was union....or not...
Well, the best reason is that when you buy something vintage, you are not exploiting todays workers and the environment !
in other words, the damage has been done.....
We can't change the past, but we can fashion the future !!

I have been railing against buying from 3rd world countries...like China for nearly 2 decades....
and now that we are bombarded with recalls of nasty merchandise and toys and toothpaste we need to find a better way ....Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean, Boy Scouts products have been recalled...........
and do you want to know who makes your "distressed furniture" imported from China? Do you want to know the conditions that exist where they make the toys we buy for our kids?
It doesn't have to be disgusting !

Click here for a shocking expose on conditions in China
From the SLC Tribune:

Charles Kernaghan, the director of the National Labor Committee, told Dorgan about factories with forced 70-hour work weeks, where overtime wages are withheld. Workers sleep in "primitive dorms," with a dozen people in each room on metal bunk beds. They have substandard food, no hot water and take home 46 cents an hour.
Kernaghan held up a Barbie produced under these conditions. The labor cost the factory 19 cents. The U.S. company paid $9 to ship it here and then charged the consumer $30 for the doll.
"There is enough money here to make toys safe and to treat the workers in China with dignity and respect," he said.

Sure -- shop funkoma vintage and the other used and vintage shops in T*Town...
Look where the thing was made......if it was made in Europe or the US there is a very good chance
that there were environmental laws and worker safety laws and decent wages laws in place when/where your widget was made.........
It's not a perfect world...but there is something Good to be done about this !

I'll post Over there on the right side under the TACOMA Stuff !
of great places to shop right here in T*Town...places that offer good old-fashioned stuff made safely & fairly, and things that you can feel good about buying and owning.....
It's not just about Being Green......it's about being a moral person !

Sent this to Scott Fontaine at the TNT

Am I the only one who is Pi**ed?

About Ladenburg etal owning stock in a company while promoting it to taxpayers to fund it?

Sometimes I wonder !

Hi Scott --

Every one is so pi**y about Crime In The Streets !!! Meth Capital of The Universe !!! yet our elected officials and their pals are lining their pockets (not too effectively I might add..) at our expense....and at the expense of the homeless/drug addicts etc.

UnIdentified Downtown Business/Property Owner goes on and on and on and on about her precious property rights d-town, and I sure would like to see some righteous indignation about the perversion of one of the answers to Crime In The Streets !!! That is --- solve the homeless/drug addict problem and a lot Crime In The Streets !!! will disappear.............

Tressie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter

Is there crime in Downtown Tacoma?

I'll let you read the BIA blog..... (one would think that with all of us blogging (now) about/in Tacoma, we'd all crash into each other at the corner of 13/pacific!!)
Fact #1
Crime is everywhere.
Fact #2
Corporations commit crimes all the time.
Fact #3
Drug-addled & Mentally challenged people are not just in the street scaring the straights.
Fact #4
Blaming the poor ---- for the problems ---- created by the rich is counter-productive in the long run, but sure creates a stir and is good for more corporate-sponsored "crime solutions".

Really now, if you truly want to reduce crime you have to treat the poor as if they were You......... Just ask ....If I was mentally challenged what would I like in my life to help me live a good life?
and then Do it !
I've listed the tools you need in this post, now you need to make sure the people that you think are causing you problems are helped to solve their problems so that they don't cause you an unending array of problems.
This is called " Being a Good Citizen"
This is a good thing........
of course it was held in my neighborhood and on my birthday....
Coincidence....I think not!

It's almost Halloween.....Who Are You?

There are no other holidays worth celebrating.....
Halloween is it Baby!
ah yes !
I hate that women/girls dress like tramps and sluts.... I mean is that really all you got going on for H'ween...and you had 364 days to plan ahead ??.....Do something more creative than trading on your boobies and stuff girlfriend.
Here......read this......
Now that we're all over that.....funkoma has stuff.....I still got some pirate stuff here
and neat things.....but don't forget to visit the Halloween Store up by Michael's crafts over by the mall...... ewww........
Here's some in the store right now !

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol

Submits a proposal for a commission for the Tacoma Dome, the sports and convention centre in Tacoma, Washington. These prints, Flower for Tacoma Dome (IIIA.37), are based on a hybrid flower created by Warhol. Daisy (IIIA.38) is inspired by this proposal. from warhol's cv 1982.
There maybe no bigger fan of Warhol than me ....so much of what we take for granted from art to film to who is and what is ART is because of Andy Warhol....

....Ok maybe there is a bigger fan......but I adore everything about Andy, The Factory, his mother-devotion, and of course, the Velvet Underground.

When I was young I had a girlfriend Lucy, who was several years older than me and she introduced me to The Mothers of Invention, The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol.....all of this about 1965 -66.
...here's pics of the Tacoma Flower plates ..don't forget the matching tumblers! all from Amazon......Hoo Haw

Here's a White Tacoma Flower poster.......

And of course the BeautifulAngle poster (of a poster?)




.....and......an art controversy I made up in my head..coming soon to a town named Tacoma........
Long story short:
I had an artist come and paint my bldg. My landlord freaked and my neighbors gave me the Poison Eye.....but I don't care. I am a brat....that is ..I do what I want if I ain't hurting nobody.......so I'm driving home the other day, and I see a Tacoma code enforcement officer taking pics of my Art and my bldg. Well, says I, no need to panic....But well here is the letter I sent out to the Art list........

Hello Art People,

I may be pre-freaking out abit, but, some of you may know I asked for Tacoma folks to come out and paint my walls...and they did ! I had a bonafide artist (as opposed to Folks!) do the upper wall. His name is Tam, and it looks like graffiti but it is not of course. It is Art. My question is: May I count on some support from the community if I get slapped with a citation for "gang graffiti"? Funny thing is ....in our spare time, we paint out real gang graffiti in the block, and we were gonna paint out Tam's work within a few days anyway......since it's not everyone's cuppa Tea...heck it's not even really my cuppa Tea....but I am an Art - Supporter !

Tressie

I am 100% in the right here........and we'll just see if the Code officer had anything to do with me.....as it turns out, I had planned to paint out the art since the agreement with Tam had run its course and we'll put something else up there.
Why is this a big deal to me??

Because I like art, I am an artist, I don't like anyone telling me what to do if it ain't hurting nobody.....and I like a good argument once in a while...I feel some days I'm wasting my paralegal skills !

But maybe most important........I Am Still Bitter about the Hillbillies that run Tacoma that didn't choose WARHOL to decorate the Dome !!
I see the Dome out my Kitchen window......This is a Big Deal to me !! Can you imagine what Tacoma could be like? I can and being a hillbilly is fine for hillbillies.........
AARRRGGGG !!!!! We had Warhol in our hands.....and they let him go.......
I am bitter.....
wink

Stuff for Costumes ! or just everyday !

Recalls And Recall the Tacoma Film Fest...

Although my son always called him "Sour Andersen" since Soren seemed to like almost nothing that was an entertaining movie, we will, here at funkoma vintage, highlight this info about Tacoma Filmfest and Click. I loved the filmfest and I love Click! for my 99.99% flawless delivery of cable internet service that flows through Harbornet. DO not miss Ray Hill's Prison Show. It was the most important film of the fest. Period.

Tune in to film fest on Click

THE NEWS TRIBUNE

The Tacoma Film Festival ended last week, but it continues in an abbreviated form on Click! cable TV.

Eight films from the festival will be shown on Click! video-on-demand through the end of the year, according to spokeswoman Diane Lachel.

The films are “South 5 – True Grit,” “The Old Son,” “My Eating Team Has a Paddling Problem,” “Ray Hill’s Prison Show,” “River Ways,” “The Phone Call,” “Vitruvirus Toybox” and “Washington, My School.”

For information, call 253-502-8900 or www.clickcabletv.com.

Soren Andersen, The News Tribune

*****************************

I told you a long time ago to stop buying crap from China. Altho the Bush Admin is trying to strangle it, The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying to protect you from yourself. They are trying to save your spawn from death and stupidity.
First recall on my list today:
Starbucks Recalls Children's Plastic Cups Due to Choking and Laceration Hazards

Incidents/Injuries: Starbucks has received seven reports of the cups breaking, including two reports in which a child began to choke on a broken piece. No injuries have been reported.

Next:
Kids II Recalls Baby Einstein Color Blocks Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard


Yes, Baby Einstein will make your child stupid if they lick the Color Blocks. Toss all Baby Einstein stuff in the garbage now to be sent to the Tacoma Dump. Now!

Weinermobile !!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile isn't gonna be at Fred Meyer!
From Ed's Diner, at the News Tribune's food Blog......
It will be available for viewing at the following Top Food locations and times:

Oct. 19, 5600 Martin Way, Lacey; 9-11 a.m.

Oct. 19, 1313 Cooper Point Road, Olympia; noon-2 p.m.

Oct. 19, 3130 S. 23rd St. Tacoma; 3-5 p.m.

Oct. 20, 201 37th Ave. S.E., Puyallup; 9-11 a.m.

Oct. 20, 1406 Lake Tapps Parkway E., Lake Tapps; noon-2 p.m.

Oct. 20, 1702 Auburn Way N, Auburn; 3-5 p.m.

Oct. 21, 17641 Garden Way N.E., Woodinville; 9-11 a.m.

I quote from the press release:

“Free Oscar Mayer Wiener Whistles, unique because of their four holes, will be distributed at each site.”

The Tacoma Film Fest Awards !!!!!

First off ....I hereby Demand !!! the name of the Tacoma Film Festival awards hereby be changed to........

The Tackies !

You know...like Tac(oma) combined with ies (because that's how things are done)
Come on.....that's really damn funny and I tell you, there's more I Lust Tacoma(tm) humor....coming from me...

no dry middleclasswhitepeoplepleaseeveryone MOR comments from your friend funkoma!

gawl, people, from a swell group of indie film lovers....The Grandies (the name of the award)
is soooooooo boring and um, boring......

ok, the food was boring but the drinks had a lot of alcohol in them.....40 bucks a pop was a damn lot of coin for mediocre food...it's for a great cause (Art I hope)...so I'd call that a wash......

could we please get some hippie food next time.....

like something fresh, healthy and at least one seriously vegan entree?????

On to the AWARDS !!!!!

Best Feature Film: Rain in the Mountains

Since I spent my Evergreen career in the Longhouse, I am so sorry I missed this one...was on my list but something came up..Good News....it's playing in the Olympia Film Fest.....get your pot and doritos...now ! (Hi Elizabeth !)

Best Local Film: GPS: The Movie

I absolutely refused to see this mash of sickening violence. Since when is kidnapping women really a good idea for a plot device .....Super YUKK...

Best Short Film: Full Disclosure

I reviewed this and I still liked it... a lot. The fest folks in charge of cutting up the films for a Look See at the awards really messed up by ....Wait for it !...showing the end.....and these are movie people?

Best Documentary: Spitfire 944

Another one I'm sorry I missed.....thanks to great editing and a very charming WWII pilot, it was adorable. Since I grew up near the Yountville Veterans Home , you can bet I am always interested in how the vets are faring .....

Audience Choice Award: My Left Hand

Sappy subject, and so tragic, I'm glad it was made and glad it won an award.

**************Just a reminder **************
everyone please write-in your vote for Marty Campbell........
He's not Soupy, He's Smarty..........
He'd a won if I was his slogan writer......I tell you......

More Film Fest...More Martinis

More Tacoma Film Fest
I wait for this all year now....how nice of them to choose the time of Tressie Fest !

Tuesday Shorts, a series of 3 short films:
Ray Hill's Prison Show
(Documentary, 58 min, directed by Brian Huberman)

I have studied labor law, capitalism, civil rights, restorative and reconcilliation justice, reparations, mediation, and family law, and, the dichotomy between the modern rise of (narcissistic) feminism and the simultaneous fetishisation and destruction of childhood, so this film was the one I was waiting for ! To say it is transformative, is really an understatement. As Ray and I said, There's only one fight. Do you know what it is?

Lunatic Farmer

(Documentary, 16 min, directed by Chris Warner)

Here's another one I liked a lot......it was a bit uneven....more like a family film, unedited, but it sure got its point across.........You Are what you eat, people ! not eat --> people, but eat cleanly. Since I was the first organic farmer in Washington to sell heirloom vegetables and tomatoes as both plants and produce, it was nice to see my flower child philosophy finally becoming mainstream. This is one Co-opting I don't mind!

For All the Marbles

(Children's Adventure, 12 min, directed by Kris Booth)

Awwww, when kids were kids......authentic, playful and cruel. No video games, no technology, just dirt and steel and glass........Some young'ens may have no clue what Red Rover is .....or Green Light, Red Light....having never left the couch except to grab some more Doritos and Coke. At the end I was not surprised to see it was not an American film.

And, another observation: At the October 9th films, I noticed much more diversity in the age group in attendance and in the fashion choices........as you may imagine, I don't take fashion lightly.....

I don't mean The Vogue Magazine Runway fashion.......I mean what we wear everyday.......how I see it....and I'll do a whole big blog post on this subject.........Clothes make a very powerful statement.....artistic or not.....utilitarian or not......Just like You are what you eat, you are what you wear.......

Since I bounce back and forth between art and law, design and advocacy, depending on the venue and circumstance when you may meet me, or read me, you could form a half-informed idea of me.....

only a few people know the Whole me.....which is really a very true statement for most people on the planet........I honor dignity and creativity ........and that is what both sides of my interests in life have in common........there is no dignity in a prostitute's costume and no creativity in institutional Standard Operating Procedure.......

Since it's all about Me ...

When I was at the film fest the other night...I noticed a few things.......
and I merely described the facts, as they appeared to me..........
and I placed no value judgment on that "polar fleece-uniform"...
many folks in a demographic do the same thing as anonymous pointed out...
(see the comment below)
scenesters have their "look" also...It just struck me that so many people in attendance at that showing of films were nearly dressed all alike, and when I went to JoAnn fabric the next day, I saw the same thing.....I've said it before...I'll say it again....I like to watch.....and I'm watching You!

Dinner Out, Drinking In......

So where have I been? Busy busy busy !
Out to dinner the other night with murph and amber...at
The Silver Dollar (funky bad sports bar decor, but amazing food)
on South Tacoma Way...we used our Entertainment Coupons !
Half off.......played pool.....I so suck ...doesn't matter.
Hey big Halloween party.....
Then drinks and pizza at Alfreds....fun fun fun....munched on that pizza for days.

Then.....out last night to Tacoma Film Fest
for funny films....technical difficulties.....but we saw:

7:50 p.m. School of Arts
Funny Shorts - Eight comedies shown in sequence
The Last Laugh
(Comedy, 6 min, Directed by Gregory Mazzotta)
Too cute ! A chuckie-type plot.

Moviebonics
(Comedy, 8 min, Directed by Donald P. Unverrich & Lance Miller)
I liked this one...I sound like these people waaaaay toooo much

The Phone Call
(Drama, 8 min, Directed by Matt Johnson)
Filmmakers in attendance.
I really liked this one ...Amateur DIY, and quite clever ..I loved the goofiness and just simple funniness of it ...adorably cute star!

What's the Scenario?
(Documentary/Comedy, 3 min, Directed by Terese Cuff)
Filmmakers in attendance.
Cute concept. Fresh ! Why do people think precocious kids on sugar and adrenaline are cute? Anyone can have sex, people.

Full Disclosure
(Comedy, 18 min, Directed by Douglas Horn)
Filmmakers in attendance.
Very breezy and clever also...witty reparte ! But it is boring to see a beautiful woman paired with a schlub. I know it's like in real life , but so cliche.

Tile M for Murder
(Drama/Comedy, 9 min, Directed by Kyle Seago)
I'm so sick of the Seagos. And why do yuppies all wear the Uniform? Casual hair, polarfleece, Nikes or a Birkenstock/Born clone shoe, and Mom Jeans ??

Soup Ladle
(Comedy, 11 min, Directed by Cayman Grant)
Great treatment of an old joke for a plot.

The Frank Anderson
(Comedy, 13 min, Directed by Dave Perkal)
Ikky. Perky. Goofy. Great special effects.

Oh By The Way ! My new ART !

I placed a call to the Universe asking for artists to slap my wall Happy, and they did! Now, I have new neighbors ! Friesenburger will open soon in Kenny's Teriyaki up here in the District Of No-Warhol-Art* Dome (DONWAD), or the Dome District (DODI)
for you flatlanders... So the lovely lower parking lot wall will be painted over by the new neighbors...fair enough!

This is painted up high, the graffiti art is brought to you by:
TAM ! (not tacoma art museum) Tam is an artist and swell fella who asked if he could paint my bldg. Yes !!
I would like to encourage all my neighbors up here in DONWAD* to encourage Art On The Wall.....Come On ! All the Cool Kids are doing it !!
Some of my neighbors: Katy's Antiques ! Welcome! Tacoma Book Center. Crystal Voyage. Hurley Engineering & Heating Co. Alfred's Cafe and Bar. Best Western....and so many more....you know who you are !
*when the City of TTown was soliciting art for the dome, Warhol submitted a design of a Large Daisy to be painted on the dome.....the city Did Not choose wisely, and I am still bitter !

So Darn Cute ...Me Likey

I spend waaaaay too much time watching other people....not like that....gutter-brain...
Like this:
http://www.painfullyhip.com/2007/09/11/bear-with-us/
This link will take you to two, yes, two mints in One...Me Likey them. Go See For Yourself. The blog of The Painfully Hip.....
mmm, hope it doesn't hurt tooo much being hip...
What is Hip? I am proudly not hip.....I am cool. Big difference.

Favorite Dress !

Why ?

1. My favorite color.
2. Fits me like a glove.
3. Very Miss Havisham.
4. Sold to me by a Swell Gal...Miss KD
sometimes known on ebay as 6658927
5. Describes one of my many moods, perfectly.
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What is Tressie Fest ? It is the celebration of all things Tressie
And all things Autumn, except football.
Drink cider, jacked or otherwise, Eat fresh tomatoes, shop the farmers market,
Buy pumpkins and put them everywhere, in your car, in your bar, on your head.
Wear Mums in your hair, and basil tucked in your breast.......
Tressie Fest is somewhat Suessian...it is Joy that should not be Xanax'd !!
It's the celebration of everything that Spring and Summer did for you while youwere dreaming....So Dream on Sailors........sail the canoe.....paddle your life.....Live it like there is no tomorrow......and appreciate the orange gourd with the deep blue sky...............
..........Be HIGH....Be LOVE.........
and all are invited in........

Here's Most of what's on ebay !

Thi Hi Boots, Tight Black Leather Jacket, Leopard dresses, Cute mini, German Octoberfest suit, 70s Geo print shift, 50s Mexican sequin top..Red Motorcycle Jacket....more more more !

And Let's not forget the shop...Just a sample !