Oh dream of dreams. I was fortunate to have been able to meet the masters of the earth-expanding WNYC show Radio Lab this past Fall, spend the day with them and do a little work for their show from Winter 2010 called: Animal Minds.

Chicago textile artist Jane Palmer is behind the gorgeous and functional Noon Solar line of solar-powered satchels and purses. She's now launching into the world of natural-dyed fabrics with Noon Design Studio. Aaron Wickenden, Matt Lauterbach and myself recently shot, edited and produced this video to help Jane raise money for a special washing machine to dye lots of fabric at once.

For every feature film made, there are thousands of shorts. Filmmaker and short-film lover Xan Aranda began the Chicago Short Film Brigade as a way to celebrate the gems of the genre. I am lucky to get to sift and winnow the goodies from the glop as a jury member for the Brigade.

The Neo-Futurists is a theater company and entire style of performance that's a fusion of sport, poetry, and living-newspaper. They're perhaps best known for their long-running show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind". I was recently honored by an invitation to join their Junior Board of Directors and look forward to helping get the word out and grow this incredible style of truth-telling and reality portrayal in front of a live audience.

Jason Bitner, who is one of the brains behind Found Magazine and LaPorte, Indiana released a compilation of essays about the very beloved and complicated genre of media: cassettes from Ex lovers. He invited big names like Rick Moody, Claudia Gonson (The Magnetic Fields), Starlee Kine (This American Life) to contribute to the book, as well as regular folk like myself. Check out the website or get the book. HERE. My essay is on page 40 something.

Long story short, I was attracted to learn a holistic healing technique called "The Lifeline" after having incredible results with it, and in the Summer 2009 after months of workshops and studying, I became certified. I've been fortunate to have had a steady stream of clients since then. Email me if you have questions or are interested in booking a session.

Anne Elizabeth Moore is the Best-American Comics series editor (along with Harvey Pekar), former Punk Planet editor, book writer, and general consciousness rabble-rouser. And she recently held a benefit at the very excellent organization 826 Chicago. She invited a handful of Chicago writers, thinkers and wonderful weirdoes to contribute a slide show for this "Slides of March" event and I was humbly included.

photos from the event (thanks Dan Rybicky for documenting!)

2008 was job potpourri. In addition to some public radio stories and photography work, I directed, filmed and edited an exercise video with 41 year old Olympic swimmer phenom Dara Torres. And this fall I began working on audio and video projects for the Baha'i faith. What's next? I take suggestions. And cash donations.

Dance Dance Party Party Chicago was featured on the Public Radio International show
Weekend America on January 26th. Since that aired, we've had requests from 4 new cities to join the ranks! Laissez les bon temps rouler.

An archivist at Chicago's Newberry Library just alerted me that Dance Dance Party Party Chicago has entered into the permanent collection! We have our own folder and everything! (with press clippings that I'm guessing reeks of sweat)

I rarely use anything, even birthdays, as benchmarks to assess where and what I'm doing, but I'll say for sure this news feels momentous. Any confirmation of one's existence can be comforting - but getting an entire folder in an institution's archive is downright fantastic. Thank you Newberry!

So a few people recently have said "hey! I heard you playing a slide whistle on Chicago Public Radio." It's true. My car stereo is broken and I do play a slide whistle in traffic to pass the time. I made this "soundmark" and other audio postcards for the station to play in between shows and segments. Check out the website to hear more and see the faces of the people you're hearing. Thanks to Jay Allison for inspiration.

Girls on Film. Girls on Film.

Metromix TV came to Dance Dance Party Party and made this nice little TV spot:

DDPP Video

Now DDPP has been officially demystified and revealed for exactly what it is: just ladies dancing. What a concept.

Nothing like meeting swarms of fantastically talented and creative people over the course of one weekend to get my ass in gear and finally update this site. If you're seeing this and thinking - wow - this looks rather professional! I wonder how this lady did this? Here's my secret:Other People's Pixels

The great thing about OPP is that they now have thousands of permutations from which to choose and customize your site. The terrible thing about OPP is that they now have thousands of permutations from which to choose and customize your site.

This is what I've settled on for the time being. Thanks for visiting!

The deeply hilarious and esteemed radio diva Anne Glickman and I will be performing a humorous piece for our friend Anne Elizabeth Moore's book opening at the Hideout on Sunday, November 4th.

If you don't know her already, Anne E. Moore is an activist and writer - and the book release is for her newest publication: Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity

We've hit the big time! First gapersblock, then the Sun Times, then Time Out, now BUST! Woo woo! Check out the Oct/Nov 2007 issue with the lovely and talented Miranda July and look for the article. It's by Laura House - a great journalist and an incredible dancer. Yay!

BUST Magazine

3rd Coast International Audio Festival Entry

Anne Glickman, Nick Gage, Joe Hulbert and I entered the short docs challenge of the Third Coast International Audio Festival.

Click on #71

The concept is as follows:

The Third Coast Festival is collaborating with Chicago's Dollar Store reading series to bring you Dollar Storeys - a public audio project inspired by items purchased at a dollar store.

There were three items from which to choose: a mug, a bicycle bell, and mousetraps.

We found inspiration in mousetraps. (OK - and delicious golden single malt)

Our premise was this: mice are given a bum wrap on earth. We view them as pests, carriers of disease, and most of us prefer them dead. But in space, mice are truly unsung heroes. By giving them our diseases and testing on their bodies and minds, we find cures for human maladies.

In conversations about test mice with friends, we considered the lives of the poor little mice that are being drug tested on in space. In their tiny astronaut suits, they have a couple of advantages to their earth-bound counterparts. Among these bonuses is there are no cats in space. And even better – there aren’t any mousetraps.

But in thinking further about it, there actually is a mousetrap in outer space – the spacecraft itself.

Ooh – our poor little inter-galactic buddies. Just thinking about them makes me want another quarter bottle of golden single malt.

Mule Mag has a new sidekick of sorts, a baby sister bloggity blog. Check it out for pretty pictures and intermittent curiosities.

Mule Blog

We also just got picked up by the MCA (museum of contemporary art)! Legit! You'll be able to find issue five in the store sometime around the new year 08.

So less than 24 hours after starting this little classy class in Chicago - we're already on Gapersblock, a very respectable web magazine of happenings and whatnots! Hoorizzledy dizzle! It's on the front page right now - but should you miss it - just go to this site and type in "dance dance party party." Boom!

Gapersblock

Yes!

I've been told by many, far and wide, that I need to get myself a web page so random people can find me and then ask me to work on things in exchange for money. This is my first attempt at such an endeavor, and I got my lucky rabbit's paw in my left hand and my fingers crossed. That sounds uncomfortable, but it's not.