More daze

Holidazed

Sorry about the long hiatus between posts -- I promise to be a little better. Here are a few nuggets of Minneapolis holiday surrealism to make up for my neglect.

Fair!!!

Mmmm... nothing else seems to match the greasy, sleazy magic of the State Fair. All of my old favorites were there, as was the recently-revived sideshow. I ate fried cheese curds, pet some goats and beautiful dogs, and had a carny attempt to sell me drugs. Times like these make me think there's still hope for America.

The Fort Garry

Yes, Triskaidekaphobia Jones, the room numbers from my earlier post were located in the Fort Garry. How sweet that the Canadians, now that 911 has associations with terrorism and tragedy, chose to violate the longer-standing taboo against rooms with the number 13. Here are a few more views of one of my favorite hotels.

Something Truly Silly

...as if the rest of this blog wasn't.

Here's local cable access legend Dr. Sphincter in a rare live performance -- a tribute to his favorite adhesive. (Thanks to YouTube user mschonwe for the clip)

Hotel Weirdness

Last weekend, I checked into a hotel in Winnipeg. I was a bit surprised to be assigned room 913, given that hotels have long shied away from the number 13. When I reached my floor, all became clear, yet still confusing. See the photos to figure out why.

Super

K.C. and the Sunshine Band

The joy of conference hotels...

Marie's Night of Horror

I have a special fondness for doll shows on home shopping channels. Much like dog shows and ice skating competitions, they offer a blend of unsettling fanaticism and mesmerising spectacle. Doll shows go a bit further though, since they feature tiny, weirdly deformed human replicas, dressed in unearthly get-ups, that are handled in ways that seem sexual and violent. Marie, like many of the people who headline these shows, seems to move in a world of pilled-up comfort, truly delighted to talk with callers who say things like "I have all nine from the muffin series, and every time I look at them I cry". Last night, she was talking about invisible friends from her childhood.

Karla

Another denizen of the weird world of vintage game shows -- this time from Password Plus!

Fawg II

More goodies from the land of lovely rust:

Fawg

I visited Duluth this past week. The city was enshrouded in eerie fog for all but the last few hours of my stay. No complaints here.

Illuminations 3

skipping towards enlightenment

Illuminations 2

More light