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this is an entry about my time near the corner of 18th & wyandotte. i started making electronic noises 6 years ago in the crossroads art district. one night tom geeding and his daughter michele showed up, and asked “what the heck is going on here?” so i gave them each a gadget and we made crazy robotic sounds for the next two hours. this took place before i found out i could play vegetables like a keyboard. before beep goes the weasel there was mondo beep. it wasn’t music– but it sure was fun.

a quick sketch drawing of yours truly was unearthed about a month ago. ok, well, it wasn’t actually IN the earth, it was stowed away in the mull house. apparently a music fan drew it when chris & i were playing at homer’s years ago. one of our neighbors (barb) saw it and said, “you’ve put on a few pounds!” i wanted to say, “yeah my right arm is longer than it used to be too.”

last sunday josh fairman & i set up beep goes the weasel for day of creativity at the spencer museum of art in lawrence, ks. folks who attended were encouraged to “explore the intertwined relationships of art, science, people, and the plant world”
- from the field guide brochure
our table had carrots, bananas, spinach leaves, and a theremin. it got noisy from time to time, but every once in awhile a melody would break out. there was also an interactive display of plant molecules (pic above) just a few feet away.

the following is an exchange between president bartlet and his daughter after her college graduation. it’s from one of my favorite tv shows, the west wing: “Would you consider… instead of living in France with your boyfriend for 3 months… uhhh… staying here, living in your room and working as a candy striper? or surfing?”“a candy striper???”“or surfing! You could spend the summer working at a pet shop, we could play yahtzee, and watch movies at night–”“Dad, what fantasy is it that’s going through your head right now?” “what daughters would do their whole lives if I had my way.”

came across a photo from the white haven lobby. esther and sheila white were interviewed for a story about the white haven in 2010. by that time they had sold the business, but it stayed in operation for two more years. it’s still hard for me to believe this cool retro motor lodge is gone. walking into a room was like going back in time. esther credited her brother-in-law gene as “the creative one” when it came to decorating rooms. in that same interview she said, “He’s a shopaholic. If he saw something that he thought would look good in one of the rooms, he bought it.”

this is just a quick note to let readers know that i’m working on at least 3 blog posts that are guaranteed to make you go “huh?” and maybe “wow.” subject matter includes: the white haven, beeping at the spencer museum, beeping on 18th street, and a lost caricature.

these lockwood teenagers sang their hearts out on the MU campus in columbia friday morning. we were proud of all of them– especially my niece, marylynn. the crowd congestion that goes along with a statewide music festival almost kept me from hearing her solo– but i made it. afterward i found out that my mom cried the first time she heard marylynn sing this particular song.

it’s no surprise that an 8-bit creation is the result of someone’s love for sports colliding with his love for retro geek cool stuff. i recognized the space invaders reference on a customer’s t-shirt, but i still had to ask “who are the aliens?” and “what is the ship firing at them?” he said, “indiana and kentucky.” apparently he went to one school, and his wife went to the other.

“you’re the first person i thought of!” that’s what amy duke told me a few weeks ago when she invited beep goes the weasel to be part of a big botany exhibit at the spencer museum of art this sunday. it’s the day of creativity, and a bunch of us will be doing demonstrations to show how art, science, people and plants are interwoven. of course, i will be doing my part by showing folks how to play with their food. the event goes from noon to 3pm!

did you hear the one about the prehistoric sea monster and the fog horn? science fiction author ray bradbury wrote that story and MANY more like it in the 1950′s. some screenwriters included it in the movie the beast from 20,000 fathoms without bradbury’s knowledge. the story goes that ray bradbury was friends with stop-motion animator, ray harryhausen who was making the beast in the movie. when bradbury stopped by the studio for a visit he pointed out that the monster that harryhausen was crafting was actually his monster that he created in a story written for the saturday evening post 2 years earlier. bradbury received a healthy financial compensation within days. big thanks to the retroist for posting this story!