I've been included in a Minnesota anthology "Under Purple Skies", now available on Amazon!

My second chapbook, "The Second Book of Pearl: The Cats" is now available as either a paper chapbook or as a downloadable item. See below for the Pay Pal link or click on its cover just to the right of the newest blog post to download to your Kindle, iPad, or Nook. Just $3.99 for inspired tales of gin, gambling addiction and inter-feline betrayal.

My first chapbook, I Was Raised to be A Lert is in its third printing and is available both via the PayPal link below and on smashwords! Order one? Download one? It's all for you, baby!

Friday, May 14, 2010

How Much for the Leetle Girl?

Here we are again, hurtling headlong into the weekend. The excitement palpatable, a hush settles on the shoulders of the awaiting masses, AKA my mom and Cousin Shelley, as I turn over the tea cup that is my iPod to read the crushed and sodden leaves of my future.

In other words, I’ve gotten it into my head that the songs “shuffled” through my iPod on my way to work Friday morning has bearing on my weekend.

Let’s look, shall we?

Come sit close. Closer. No, not that close. Sheesh.

I Wanna Be Your Dog by Uncle Tupelo
Hang You From the Heavens by The Dead Weather
Outta Harm’s Way by King Khan and the Torturers
Neat Neat Neat by The Damned
Attention by The Raconteurs*
Travelin’ Band by Creedence Clearwater
Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again by Gogol Bordello
Shore Leave by Tom Waits

Today's list is a little longer than usual, as this is not just from the moment I get on the bus but from the moment I leave the house and walk to the bus stop.

Hmm. I see a tall, dark man. His name may start with an “M”. An “N”? No, wait! A “T”. He misses you very much and wants you to know that he’s very happy where he is and is no longer angry. He says don’t worry. He says invest in gold. He says your first cat Kitty is here as well and clawing up the good furniture. He says tip the nice gypsy a fiver and check your pockets before you leave…

The economy is on my mind again; and while Wienie Water Soup is a semi-delicious/semi-nutritious addition to the week’s supper menu (also freezes in ice cube trays for a quick and easy bouillon!), supplementing one’s income is of primary concern during these hard times.

This is not to say that you should cancel your bread-heel-and-potato-peel casserole plans – seriously, no one whips up a fiscally responsible hotdish like you do! – but you may also want to explore alternatives.

Like selling your stuff.

This weekend is Art-A-Whirl in Northeast Minneapolis, a weekend of artists and their wares, bands indoors and out, excited bartenders, excited drinkers, and garage sales.

Garage sales, people! I’ve gone through my house and have priced-to-sell all manner of books, art, knick-knacks, gee-gaws, and doo-hickeys at Kurt and Kathy’s annual Art-A-Whirl garage sale.

That's where I'll be: on their porch, drinking their beer, telling stories/exaggerations/outright lies, and selling my stuff.

And if you’re in the neighborhood?

Stop by for a doo-hickey.



*If I had to pick a song for you to listen to, if you were feeling adventurous and whatnot, I would pick this one. A side project of Jack White’s (from the White Stripes). I’m in love with him, but our parents disapprove.

22 comments:

furiousBall said...

an Uncle Tupelo fan! yay! I met Jay Farrar about 10 years ago, nice guy with about the weakest handshake I've ever felt.

The Unbearable Banishment said...

You must PROMISE me you'll rent "It Might Get Loud." It's a documentary about guitars starring Jack White, The Edge and Jimmy Page. So worth your time.

I had my iPod on shuffle coming out of Penn Station on my way to work. Fighting through the Manhattan crowd, the damn thing selected:

"Keep Yourself Alive" by Queen
All you people
Keep yourself alive


"Bummed Out City" by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros
We're in Bummed Out City
So come on, let's operate


and then, of course, "Walk on the Wild" Side by Lou Reed
A hustle here and a hustle there
New York City is the place where


Dear Steve Jobs: Stop messing with me.

Anonymous said...

Garage sales!
(We call them yard sales here in Idaho...)
My favorite thing all summer long is to get up on Saturday morning and head out in search of junk for sale with my kids, bottled water, a map of the town and a gallon of hand sanitizer...
Best fun ever. =]

Pearl said...

furiousball, they've come around a couple times but I haven't seen them yet. And anyone who covers an Iggy song in almost a "country" fashion has piqued my interest!

Unbearable Banishment, I saw it a couple weeks ago! Wasn't that fun?! Just picked up some DVD, the title of which escapes me at the moment, regarding teh White Stripes touring a lot of little bars in Canada, most of whom had no idea who they were. Need to watch that soon...
The iPod shuffle can be eerie at times, can't it?!
Oh, and Joe Strummer? Lovely, lovely man. Big fan of The Clash over here!

Sweet Cheeks! My favorite cat-based avatar and long-distance sista! :-) I, too, love a good garage-sale chase! A jar full of change and I'm off in search of treasure!

SeaD said...

Pearl, you consistently make me laugh out loud here in my little corner of the office. Thanks for that. Bread heel and potato peel casserole. BwaHAHA!

Cheeseboy said...

Love The Dead Weather. They are terrific.

Pearl said...

SeaD, I'm glad to hear it. And doesn't bread-heel and potato-peel casserole sound yummy. Get yourself the foam off someone's beer and you've got yourself one cheap meal!

Cheeseboy, love them, too. Love the Raconteurs as well, Jack White's other project.
When does that guy sleep?!

Gail Dixon said...

The Dead Weather and the Raconteurs...I heart you. Awesome songs!

The Grandpa said...

Art-A-Whirl sounds like fun. Enjoy the weekend.

Pearl said...

Louisiana Belle, they are, aren't they?! They make me happy.

The Grandpa, it will be. I shall whirl for you. :-)

Anonymous said...

Well pearl!
Bowie, my ultimate single faced, singer idol!
And the Damned?
Ohhh, right back from my not so goth days!

Pat said...

GI Joe action figures are always hot items at garage sales if parents of under-10s stop by. Did your son like them, and/or do you still have them kicking around the house? We still have a few with all legs & arms & head intact.

Best wishes for a smashingly successful garage sale!

The mad woman behind the blog said...

I love Uncle Tupelo AND ANYTHING Jack White does. And yes, I too need to rent "It Might Get Loud." My 12 year old guitar playing neighbor went and saw a special showing, said it was awesome.
And yep, going to host my own (hopefully drunk) garage sale tomorrow. Be nice to make enough for another round of beer.

Krëg said...

My band does a bluegrass cover of Ziggy Stardust. It's so hot you'll barf.

Plentymorefishoutofwater said...

Ta for the nice comment on my blog. It persuaded me to drop by here, and I'm glad I did. You got yourself ANOTHER follower.
*Plentymorefishoutofwater - One Man's Dating Diary*

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

as always, you sense of humor light up my day!
Happy Friday!

anon said...

Hi Pearl,
Whew, Ive been busy, but still lurking : D There's a golf course community just down the road from me, they host a huge community garage/yard sale every year. Tomorrows the big day! Its a very wealthy little community and the stuff they sell for peanuts is mind-boggling! Course, I never buy anything, because I hate stuff/clutter/ornamentation, but my friends make out like bandits! You should come, we'll pack little flasks instead of beer, Canada has a big fit if you walk down the street drinking beer. Pht.

Anonymous said...

Hey Pearl,
Just sent you a G-Mail. I'll be in Nordeast tomorrow for a "pahty" that I just heard about & you're invited (if sales slow down, that is). Look for the lady on the purple scooter (me)swerving and craning her neck while looking for a big 'ole pile of "Pearl's well-loved-doo-dads" on someone's lawn! Take care. TOWP

Jocelyn said...

I was just jonesing for someone to give me some song recs! My interpretation of the list, given the "Ziggy Stardust," is that you're supposed to dress like Iman this weekend.

LadyFi said...

Garage sales - what fun! Well, as long as you actually sell something...

Joanna Jenkins said...

Art-A-Whirl garage sale. Now that is VERY tempting! Hope you sell a ton of stuff.

Happy weekend,
jj

Madame DeFarge said...

Good luck with the garage sale and you remind me that I haven't listened to any music for almost two months. What's happening to my ears?