Survival strategies of the wackiest

Oh, BIG apologies all ’round for my slacker-tude in posting (not posting actually) lately. Um, I’ve been trying (and I use that word optimistically) to figure out how to SURVIVE in a world gone mad. Yes, mad!

Damn. Is it just me or is everybody scrambling? (more…)

MC on WSLR tonight — call in or pledge to support your local community radio!

So, yes, WSLR, Sarasota’s community radio station is conducting fund raising! I’ll be a guest on the Louisiana Gumbo Show at 7:45 tonight — Sunday, April 5th. Just for about a half-hour, I think, unless we’re deluged with callers and pledgers, then they might ask me to stay through 9 p.m. I’ll be chatting about WSLR and the importance of grassroots radio — now, absolutely now more than ever, when newspaper pages are shrinking and television is reporting on Madonna’s adoption efforts as if that is real news. (more…)

The perfect outing on April Fools Day … laissez-faire … lazy fairy … laissez-aller!

Oh, if there really are magical-power-imbued fairies running around loose in Sarasota, they’ll tap me with their magic, star-tipped wands and clear my calendar for tomorrow night so I can go catch the closest thing to the real thing (more…)

Petty thievery

I’ve got a good friend. He’s a great guy. Pretty honest, pretty decent human being.

Recently we were hanging out together … doing our usual nonstop talking. We were having a blast … up until the moment he was showing me photos from his recent trip on his laptop computer.

My friend segued from showing me photographs to showing me some labyrinthine catalog of music he had stored on his laptop. He flipped through music sounding out on a tinny sound system faster than I could recognize what tunes they were. I was impressed with the endless catalog.

I’m a woman who still listens to the radio and thinks CDs are cutting edge. So, I asked my friend, “How’d you get all this music?” — and here’s where it got sticky. He responded with a shrug, “Itunes, friends, some stolen.”

What? Did I hear that correctly? “Some stolen”????? (more…)

Sarasota Magazine/BIZ 941 “restructuring” … when does the bleeding in local media stop?

Jiminy cricket. When does the bleeding in Sarasota’s media world stop? Word I heard from the street earlier today that Jeff Lawenda, former Executive Publisher of Sarasota Magazine and BIZ 941, had been let go — was just confirmed in a telephone conversation with Tiffany Soukhaphaly at the magazines’ offices. “We’ve had a restructuring,” Tiffany told me and indeed, it appears Lawenda is out. I think Lawenda became Exec Publisher over these local publications just two — or maybe three — years ago now. (more…)

Remembering Ardren

Tonight, around 5:30 p.m., the Pelican Press newspaper was tossed from a car driving by, and landed in my driveway. From somewhere in the recesses of my mind, for some reason, I thought “Oh, good, I get to read Main Street Beat.” As soon as the thought came into my head, of course, it rushed back out again. Bob Ardren, the writer of that column I used to so look forward to, has been gone for well over a year now. (more…)

Still using plastic bags? … enough already!

If you’re still using and accepting plastic bags when you shop — I really can’t imagine why. With all the information at our fingertips, it’s almost criminal to continue this destructive, irresponsible behavior. (more…)

Kisses are free … but the books cost $14.95! :)

If anyone’s interested … I’m doing a book sale/signing of my book, Sideways in Sarasota,
at Circle Books on St. Armands Circle tomorrow afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. It’s always a hoot being at Circle Books because the signing table is set up outside and you get a dog’s eye view of the street. Circle Books is located 478 John Ringling Boulevard, St. Armands Circle; pretty much right across the boulevard from the Foxy Lady boutique. (941.388.2850)

If you’re out and about, c’mon by and say hello, and yes, I’m giving away fabulously free kisses tomorrow to anyone who wants one … um, Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, that is!

On Siesta, life’s a beach

I’m not a sun worshiper by any stretch of the imagination. I slather on a 45 SPF just for a walk from my front door to the mailbox.

When I first moved here a couple of years ago, I think I had an innate suspicion of the nearly-naked, let it all hang out mentality of “the beach.” Moving from the boxed up, work all night, often uptight big city to the sun-soaked, knock off at 5 o’clock, Jimmy Buffet-style tourist town has taken some getting used to.

Despite my Draculian dread of the sun, (more…)

First date, last date? Follow my dating do’s and don’ts to make it to round two

Is anybody else out there wondering at what point it’s easier to just stay home rather than keep putting yourself “out there” first date after first date?

It’s a crazy world here in Sarasota for singles. I’m not sure what they put in the water down here, but Sarasota men, I’m sorry, have got the rest of the country beat when it comes to being deadbeat or dysfunctional dates.

I know. I know. I’m going to get blasted for being a snob and a princess and an anti-feminist and a bitch, etcetera, etcetera. But, is it too much to ask for a guy who acts like a man, and has some manners to boot? I’m pretty sure I’ll hold up my end of the bargain by acting like a woman and I pinky promise not to drink all the wine and steal French Fries from his plate. (more…)