off to see the wizard

I worked entirely too late tonight (I'm still at work and its past midnight).

I spent the day interviewing candidates for the director of volunteers job.

Then I had to do my job and get organized enough to take Monday off.
I also had an ass-load (sorry I've used up all of the good words from doing six straight interviews and writing blurbs about 20 bands) of work due for NUVO.

Speaking of NUVO, the big musical family tree article I was working on was published this week. Its really cool --and my name was on the cover. Woo Hoo.

I'm leaving for Nebraska tomorrow...oh, today...Matt (from the nice suit fame) is taking me to the airport, Jerry is picking me up in Kansas City and we're driving to Cliff and Marilyn's farm.

I'd better get home and pack.
If the weather man is right I can't go wrong with rain boots and a slicker.

it is official (complete with photograph)

Second Helpings names new director of operations

INDIANAPOLIS, March 28, 2007 – Second Helpings, Inc. has announced that it has named Nora Spitznogle to the new position of director of operations. Spitznogle has served as the agency’s director of volunteers since 2005.

In her new position, Spitznogle will oversee all of Second Helpings’ day-to-day operations, including its hunger relief, job training, and food rescue programs.

“We’re delighted that Nora has accepted this new position,” said Gina Brooks, executive director. “She has done a wonderful job with our volunteer program, and her experience in food service management made her a logical choice for director of operations.”

Spitznogle is a graduate of Purdue University. Prior to joining Second Helpings, she worked as manager of CATH, Inc., one of Indianapolis’s most popular coffee shops, with locations in Broad Ripple and the City Market.

Second Helpings Inc. is an Indianapolis-based organization committed to safely rescuing prepared and perishable food, re-preparing it into nutritious meals, and distributing up to 3,000 meals daily to more than 50 social service organizations that serve disadvantaged adults and children. Second Helpings also trains and places adults for full-time positions in the culinary field.

Since 1998, Second Helpings has collected more than eight million pounds of food and provided nearly three million meals to non-profit agencies. More than 250 adults have graduated from its Culinary Job Training program.

saturday night live

I think this was the first full episode of Saturday Night Live I've ever watched.
I've worked almost every Saturday night since I was 16 years-old.
If I was not working, I usually had plans--or I was long asleep by the time the show was on.

Peyton Manning was the host Saturday night.
I managed to quiet most of the late-night bar crowd and turned the televisions up loud enough to watch the show.

My favorite bit was the United Way spoof (click on the title to watch).
Peyton totally played on his squeaky clean image.
The real United Way commericals have always bugged me---and I work for a United Way agency.

Another skit was about a woman who always had to one-up people.
"My brother is also a lawyer"
"I have 60 cousins that live in space."

I felt like that chick the next morning at the Newsstand.
Everyone was talking about the show.
I said "I have a friend who works on SNL"
Everyone looked skeptical.
So I had to add "He also works for Conan... and he used to work for Carson...until Carson moved to LA...he also does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...the Rockafeller Center Tree Lighting...the Time's Square Ball Drop...and CBS Morning Show and NFL games.....he used to be the sound guy for They Might Be Giants...."

You could see the poor-Nora-and-her-imaginary-friend look on everyones face.
I headed off to work.

At 7:00 my cell phone rang.
JG CELL showed up on the screen.
Holy Crap--John of SNL fame was calling!

He'd just flown in to Indianapolis, and wanted to hang out before he went to spend a week with his parents.
We went to see Peelander-Z.
A Japanese comic punk band.
(I sure do know how to show a guy a good time.)

He told me some behind the scenes stuff from the show.
Nothing juicy, Peyton was nice and both brothers were on the set all week.
He could not believe all of the local press Peyton's appearance was generating.

I took JG for coffee this morning at the Newsstand.
I just had to prove that he is real.

justin townes earle and miss usa

I've been working on a short piece about Justin Townes Earle this evening.

He is the son of one of my favorite musicians, Steve Earle and is named for his papa's buddy, songwriter Townes Van Zandt.
I was listening to his new album "Yuma" as I was writing.
I was also watching the basketball games (RIP Butler) but was getting too distracted--of course, it is not hard to distract me from an assigned project, I've been know to spend hours looking at salt and pepper shakers on eBay.

Anyway back to getting sidetracked...instead of turning off the television I flipped the channel and landed on the Miss USA beauty...um, I mean scholarship pageant.

I was thinking about the irony of listening to the of the son of Steve Earle, who sings of social justice with one ear--
and listening to the five finalists in their interview session with the other.
One spoke of how cold it is in Minnesota (Miss Nevada) and another talking about how people don't deserve second chances (not sure who that was--the white noise started then).

Anyway, since I was writing about a Nashville based musician I decided that Miss Tennessee should win.
And she did.

Maybe I can have a new career as a pageant coach.
Or an oddsmaker in Vegas.

Click on the title to hear a Justin Earle song. I like him, his voice and songs are warmer and gentler than his papa.

match not com

Ugggh.

In my never-ending quest to avoid writing about my favorite gospel bands I browsed match.com.

I typed in my zip code and the age range of 38 to 52--seven years either way from mine.

Creepy guy down the street. Check
Creepy guy that used to spend way too much time at the coffeehouse. Check
Creepy guy that comes in the Red Key. Oh wait, same guy.
Creepy guy that volunteers at Second Helpings. Check
Creepy guy that I avoid at the gym. Check.
Creepy guy that I see at the library. Check.

Some of the names are creepy too-- "smoothlove" or "xxx" or "single4now" or "velvettouch"

And guys, it is okay to use spellcheck.

I'm sure there are several nice men on there--I'm just not ready to wade through them.

Being single is not so bad.
Really.

the peggy sues

I saw a great band tonight.

The Peggy Sues are an all-women punk rock band.
Four musicians, three chords, two minute songs and one set.
Just the way I like it.

The fun part is that two of the members also write for the Broad Ripple Gazette.
The BRG is a great neighborhood/folksy/newsy/only say nice things about people paper.



I'm having trouble posting the link, so click on the post title.
Go to their link page to get to there MySpace account to hear their music.
Sorry to make to so complicated. I'll fix it if I can later.

nights with alice cooper

I just got home from work (midnight-ish). I did work-work until about 8:00, then worked on my NUVO piece.

I always freak myself out being in that big building alone and walking out to my car in the sketchy neighborhood.
It's not even that that neighborhood is so scary, but it is very industrial--and empty.
There is a day shelter for homeless people across the street and sometimes folks sleep behind my building.
It is misty and foggy tonight and I didn't think to move my car closer to the door.

Anyway...I made it to the car okay...slammed and locked the door and turned the key.
Then got really freaked out.

Alice Cooper was on the radio singing a Neil Young song--and bungling the words.
It's not that Alice Cooper is so scary (although a good argument can be made for his creepiness), but I blush wildly and get an instant stomachache when I hear him.

I have not found the way to express how goofy I was as a child.
I came close the other day when I mentioned that I was too nerdy for the marching band kids to hang out with in high school.
We did not have a record player, watch TV or listen to the radio at home.
AVS said that I grew up "a car and a light bulb" from being Amish.
I was way behind in pop culture.

I was invited to a slumber party in seventh grade.
I'm sure it is because we rode the same bus and her mom made her.

At the party the other girls were looking a records and talking about music.
Janet Ware asked me if I liked Alice Cooper.
I said "Yes, she is my favorite!"
Nail in the nerd coffin.

The rest of the night was long and painful.
Not that the girls were mean, I just had nothing to add to the conversation about boys, music and makeup.

Ironically I now write about music.

I missed out on bubble gum pop, Canadian folk musicians and glam rock.
I also missed out on the Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

In college I went from zero to punk-rock.
I have a Joey Ramone poster on my office door (okay--the back of the door).
I had three pairs of Doc Martens, wore ripped fishnets stockings with short skirts and had a biker jacket (actually all of those things can still be found in my closet).
I made a pilgramage to CBGB before it closed.

I've become a bit of a hipster when it comes to music. I was at the first Lollapoolaza, saw Nirvana play in an abandoned warehouse in Philadelphia, Willie Nelson in an old theatre, been to countless Red Hot Chili Peppers shows, saw Prince play at a local bar after his big stadium show and Yo La Tengo cover a song of the college band I was in.
Countless angst-ridden singer/songwriters have crashed on my sofa.
I try to keep up on the new music--emo, goth and scarf rock.
I don't like all of it, but I appreciate that people are making it.

And Alice Cooper still makes me fell like I'm thirteen years old--and not in a good way.

At least I know now that it is just plain wrong that he's singing a Neil Young tune.
And Mr. Alice...it's "old man take a look at my life" not "take a look at my wife."
Even I know that.