Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder in the realm of celebrity hair...
Trent Reznor gets a buzzcut. Not to mention all "pumped."
Seriously, I would have a difficult time distinguishing him from Henry Rollins from the back.
I'm completely in favor of him getting a new healthy lifestyle, but this is a little over the top.
Could we all just go back to 1991 for a minute?

Last night I made what turned out to be the wisest possible decision, which was a non decision. There were at least 9 different things going on which I would have liked to have done, had they been on separate nights and not right before I had a brunch shift. So after spending four hours doing prep and dishes and rocking out in the kitchen to Megadeth with Benrod, I walked to Wholefoods to get persimmons and seaweed and then proceeded more or less directly to bed. (of course there was some internet time involved. Who am I kidding?) Anyway, I slept like a baby, and then got up this morning and cooked everything and took out the trash and THEN we fed almost 150 people. Gah! It was crazy in a fun kinda way. We felt like a really solid TEAM, which is awesome. But chances are pretty slim that I would have been able to maintain my equilibrium in the face of the onslaught had I gone out for any rock or even 4 hours of local experimental film. So I feel like I did the right thing, even if I disappointed some people by not showing up.
I'm sure I missed some really great shows last night, but it feels good to know my limits.

"I'm in love with your remote control
Over me...."

ha!


*Ryan Roxie, "Big Fat Song", DPM

I hurt myself today...

Wow. Two nights of partygirl and I am still feeling human. More or less. Thursday night was the Dirty Faces CD release show with The Bumps, Centipede E'est and lots of special guests. It was Rickety Thursday revival night....the names may have changed, but the faces were the same.
I think it was the first Bumps set I have seen all the way through....the "southern rock" vibe comes on strong which isn't always my favorite thing, but damn, they rocked it! I drank coronas and smoked my free camel lights (another nod to the olden times!) and bobbed my head up front all the way through. They all looked like rock stars. Glitter's guest vocals amped it up and touched my heart----it's always nice to see the big rock feuds resolved through the power of music.
Took a sit down for the Centipede set, but holy shit--they are TIGHT! The opening number was blissful. Lingo can write a beautiful song, and SING IT beautifully. And then he can fall all over himself in fury. A true chameleon.
The Faces set was just pretty pretty chaos. I've railed against the trend towards adding more and more members to every band in town in the past, but I have to say that the more people got on that little stage, the more intense it hit. I got serious rock neck. More importantly, I got INSPIRED. And I got the feeling that Pittsburgh is coming back to rule the world. Just you wait and see.

Last night was the party at the mansion. I haven't been to the mansion in a long, long time, and it remains mostly unchanged(I didn't venture upstairs to see what went on with the construction...that will be another time) I went as a phantom dominatrix, and I have to say that I am going to take every opportunity in the future to wear my tophat and handcuffs. I will MAKE opportunities to do this if necessary.
Like....the brandy worked me into a lather and I finally laid the groundwork for my Pigface-inspired industrial cover band project: Heliofucker. This has been in the dream stages for something like TEN YEARS, but last night something about the costume and the brandy and mood made me start to actually invite boys to be in my band. Both the boys I invited last night easily agreed to appear shirtless with a collar and chain. I need to invite at least 3 more boys before the onslaught can become a reality, but I think it WILL finally happen. And I decided whilst getting freaky with Mueller to "Wild Thing" that an extended industrial version of that song will be the centerpiece of the set. Details to follow.
In the meantime, I'll be playing with Anita Fix, possibly an all girl band called My Niece Denise, and a couple of other loose projects. I was also invited to just crash the YMD party any time I want...with promises that I will not sustain physical injury EVERY time. That's all a girl can hope for.
And also...finally I have obtained my personal holy grail....The Dad's Porno Mag CD. After exhausting every legitimate channel and coming up empty handed, a friend in ENGLAND offered to burn a copy and send it ACROSS THE SEA to me. I figure I will just throw $12 at Roxie the next time I see him. It's totally infectious and even in the rare moments when I am NOT listening to it actively, I am hearing songs in my head. Most specifically, Candy Lovin. Good lord, that song is the catchiest thing EVER! I believe in candy.....indeed.

Further Down the Spiral.......

last night I painted my nails black for the first time in years. The goth is coming back with a vengeance.
got a call from my ex husband last night, and suddenly I am in a band again. For one night only, most likely, but I've got a thrill. Timbales, floor tom and hand percussion. "deconstructed dance music with attitude" or some such, he said in his typical obliquely non communicative way. I've got the hat, that's all I'm sayin.

it's sweaterweather at last. every minute I spend in the blustery wet winds makes me stronger.

And then......
Today I was checking my email at work, and just as I clicked on the email from True Majority telling me about the nationwide vigils tomorrow to honor the 2,000 dead American soldiers and 100 some thousand Iraqis who have been killed....."What's Going On" came on the DMX.
Cut to me, dissolving into tears in the office.
It's been a really heavy couple of days. I hope things get better soon.

When You See God

Times like these, with so many "natural disasters" going on in the world (these words very much deserve to be in quotations: there is nothing "natural" about global warming, folks), it's hard for me to think too much about the war. Wars. Aside from my more or less regular Saturday morning dose of political commentary, I don't tend to give the war much thought on a regular basis. It's too much. Feeling powerless is hard, and thinking about atrocities done in my name makes me want to curl up into a ball.
Somehow the last two days have conspired to make me think a whole lot about it, and I have had two opportunities to shed a lot of tears and say a lot of prayers.
First, we went to see the closing film of the festival last nightEighteen. It wasn't about *this* war, but the realities of war were part of the background story. I cried because the story as a whole was full of emotionally wrenching situations, but also, I think, because WAR makes me think of this war, and how so many young people are going through the realities of war on a daily basis for who knows what reason. It hurts.
And then, this morning I listened to Roxie's podcast #5. He talks about his feelings about the war, about having talked to a lot of soldiers who have been over there and how things are so much worse than we even see. And then he played a song he wrote for the troops, and it's just gorgeous. Gorgeous like a candle lit peace demonstration gorgeous. It made me think about how I got so jaded about peace demonstrations....the "people in charge" don't see them...they aren't ever going to effect change.
But now I think that's wrong...I think the ENERGY created when people get together and sing or pray for peace makes a difference in the world. The energy created when I sit and listen to this song and weep for the direction we are headed in goes somewhere. Every time someone has a thought that things could be different, it creates the potential for change.
That's why it's so important for people to be courageous enough to speak their minds about it. If even one person who never questioned this war and our country's motivation for going to war hears this podcast and thinks, even for a minute, that maybe something is wrong....that creates a window for change.
Bless you, Ryan Roxie.

Speaking of blessing, this evening when I was leaving the bookstore I crossed paths with my favorite Sister of Mercy. She stopped and smiled at me and said "I don't know why, but it always gladdens my heart to see you." I feel blessed indeed.

So, last night I did indeed go to see "Race You to the Bottom." Unfortunately, I wasn't the only person in the theater. It was about half full of gay couples who were treated to the following rehashing of STEREOTYPES 101:
*bisexual people are cold, nasty, and unable to commit to anyone
*straight women are bitchy, insecure, and possessive
*gay men are non stop party boys who just want to fuck all the time
*straight men are spineless and easy to manipulate

It was a truly horrifying film. There were NO sympathetic characters(well, I did kinda like the swishy tour guide at the winery, but that was about it) The scenery was gorgeous, and Amber Benson (TV's lesbian witch Tara) was hot. But really, otherwise, it was an exercise making bisexuals squirm in their seats.

I'm glad, I guess, that the board made an effort to include a bisexual film on the schedule. I only wish there had been a better one!

Over the past few days, I have been reunited with two very key touchstones of my industrial past....."broken" by Nine Inch Nails (with hidden bonus tracks!!!) and "Welcome to Mexico, Asshole" by Pigface, which came packaged with Gub(the first studio release? perhaps)

I am now the proud owner of not one, not two, but THREE distinct versions of "Suck".
You have never seen a happier or stompier girl in your life, I'm sure!!!

Last night we went to see the documentary film "Mr Leather" at the Pittsburgh Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The turnout was poor, there was only ONE GUY THERE DRESSED IN LEATHER(!?!?!?!) and there was no attempt at any kind of community outreach or awareness. The film, however, was great, and my favorite contestant won. He was a very articulate, active, and knowledgeable self identified "boy". Awwww.

Tonight I am going to see "Race You to The Bottom", the token bisexual film. I fully expect to be the ONLY person in the theater. I am so very tempted to march in there tomorrow night and demand that they let me take control of this film festival. These people really need to learn some lessons about community outreach!!!!

An observation, based on a sweet email that made me blush at 6:30am this morning:

When a girl calls a boy a "prince", it is always and universally understood to be positive.

When a boy calls a girl a "princess", however, one really has to understand the context of the statement to know exactly what is meant.

In this case....it's all good.

It's all down to the hug pt3

Apparently she had seen Chuck flirting with some girl in the audience and mouth "cooper'stown" to her. I also was pretty sure Renfield had mentioned Cooper'stown to some people before the show started, but I didn't say anything because I knew we had to drive back to Pittsburgh and Becky had to go to work videotaping a wedding today. But she insisted! I think she felt worse about the fact that I hadn't managed to meet up with Roxie than I did.
So we made the quick trip back, found a good parking spot, and fought our way in to the bar. It was SOOOOO crowded with drunk people. A million degrees and really smoky. But Brutally Live was playing on the huge TV screen, and I really wanted one more Poison ale. I fought my way to the bar and got my beer, and stood at the back of the line that had formed for who knew what reason. There was buzz..."he's going to be signing autographs", "the drummer's here...I don't know his name", and from the drunk lady right in front of me:
"who are you here to see?"
"I have something for Roxie"
"which one's he? the hot one dressed like a pirate?"
"yeah, that would be him"
I stood there through 22 oz of Poison ale, and nothing seemed to be happening. Eric was indeed there, but I really didn't have anything to say to him. It was intolerably hot and crowded, and I was worried about getting home before Becky and I were likely to pass out and crash on the turnpike. So I said we should leave. She said "let's just wait outside for a little bit."
So we went outside and sat on the sidewalk, and sure enough, three minutes later the tour bus came around the corner. There were only about 8 of us smart enough to be waiting outside by the side door! The bus door opened, and out came...Supagroup. Argh!
But following them closely was the cute head of Renfield (he really is a cutie close up!) and then out came Damon and Calico. Both very friendly to the small group of us gathered there. Calico went back into the bus, Renfield disappeared and reappeared, and then...out came Alice!!! He looked absolutely ADORABLE in black jeans and a gray tshirt. Walked quickly into the door, but smiled and waved and said "hey! how ya doin!" to us as he went by. He really does look completely different offstage. It was my first time seeing the magical transformation up close and in person. My heart fluttered for a few minutes after that.
And after a few minutes went by, I realized that there was still no Roxie! Could he have already gone into the bar? We were just about to give up and go back in when I saw the trucker hat peeking around the corner of the bus door. And then the faded camo pants, and the black t shirt with bunches of little chains, and the big red FILA bag full of goodies. Roxie!!! (Becky later told me that he was wearing some really cool shoes, but I never caught a glimpse of them) "Hey, great to see you guys!" he said to the little group of us, including FeezleNuts and his sister who I remembered from the last show. Did he "recognize" me, as far as knowing who I was? I'm not sure, and Becky told me afterward that I never said my name to him, so who knows. But he DID immediately grab me and pull me close. I took advantage of the situation to lean up and whisper in his ear "I've brought you something." He grinned like a kid. "What have you brought me?" I held out my hand and gave him the tiny Willie Wonka pin I got for him. He studied it closely,"that's REALLY great" he said, with a smile,"here, hold my...'soda pop'" handing me his beer. He attached the button to one of his chains. "That's really, really, great. Thanks, you're awesome!" giving me another hug. He reached into his pocket and gave me and Becky each one of the little Alice Cooper Band postcards, with his picture and roxie77.com on the back. "You guys have the Roxie77 Cd already, right?" "Of course," I said, "I was looking for DPM" "Aw, I don't have anymore, but thanks for the support on that" he said, and I frowned. He was about to say something else to me when the other people there grabbed his attention for a picture. Becky and I started to walk away...I didn't want to take up too much of his time knowing he had a huge throng of drunks to deal with inside. He stopped the picture taking to call after me "hey, thanks again, you're really awesome!" I flashed him a peace sign, he flashed it back, and I went on my way. I sighed all the way home!
So the question you are asking yourself is...why didn't I get a picture with him? Well, because he and Alice had been so very entertaining during the show that I used up all 27 shots! I guess while the show was going on I really didn't think I was going to get to see him afterward so I didn't save any. Bad planning.
This morning I have a little bit of a headache(the smoke? the screaming? 66oz of "Poison"??) but I'm still totally high from the night. I can picture those big brown eyes and scruffly little smile two inches from my face. Have I ever mentioned that Ryan Roxie is one of the nicest guys to ever walk the planet? Yeah, I think I have.

It's all down to the hug pt 2

So the lights came down, and Supagroup came on. Eh. The less said of them the better, I think. I was offended by their song about having to have balls to rock and roll. I don't have any, and I can rock as hard as the next guy. I was distracted playing spot the guitarist. I didn't spot him again until the end of their set, when he ducked backstage.
The lights came up and the set up started. I love the feeling of anticipation I get watching set up for a band I love...it's like being at the top of a rollercoaster for 20 minutes! Renfield came out and chatted with some people up front. The roadies did their thing, and I got a little thrill as each of Roxie's guitars came out. (I am such a geek!!) The pre-show Alice music started up..."Sickthings", "Love Should Never Feel Like This", "Perfect" (I think there were others, can't remember.) The lights went down, and Eric threw the cover off his drumset. The roar was deafening. I barely had time to figure out where to look for Alice, and there he was.
Let me just say this right now...I fully expected to spend most of my time watching Roxie, especially given my direct line of site. But it was really hard to take my eyes off of Alice. He was completely captivating. I've looked at a lot of pictures from this tour, but they really don't give any sense of just how SEXY the man is these days. And it wasn't just the pants, although they were all good. It was his attitude. Strutting and prancing and shaking his hips and running his hands all over himself...sheesh! Alice knows exactly what he's doing.
The setlist was exactly the same as has been posted (I printed it out to keep track!)
My personal hilights: I Never Cry(as expected...I cried); Is It My Body(a particularly hard rocking version, and Alice was playing with the audience big time! At one point he stuck his behind out and ran his hand down his thigh, changing the lyrics to "is it my FABULOUS body"; when he got to the "what does it take to get inside your mind" part, he was right in front of me and the psychotic look he gave when he sang it sent chills down my spine) The whip dance for "Go To Hell" was great--all Calico's dances seemed more acrobatic than I remember from past shows.
Then we moved into the really intense part of the show. "Gimme" took me straight back to 1997----the outfit, the smoke and lights, the menace...that was like the part of the rollercoaster where you're at the bottom of a huge hill, and for a split second you think "I can't do this", but you're committed. You can't go back. It really got to me, and put me in the perfect frame of mind for "the piece."
Sometimes I think that having seen numerous shows, not to mention countless DVD viewings, I should be a little more "jaded." But no. The drama is just as effective now as the first time I saw it. The addition of "The Awakening" and "Killer" really pushed it over the top for me. Most of the action happened right in front of me, too, and it was so powerful. I don't think I'll ever get to the point where watching Alice's face during "Dwight Fry" won't give me chills.
Ryan tried to get the "I Love the Dead" wave going, and I did my best to help, but people didn't play along. Oh well.
Then the magic coffin did it's trick and Alice said the words I love to hear: "party time." (although it's bittersweet, too, of course...party time means the party is almost over) Alice was having so much fun popping ballons that he almost missed a chorus!
And then "Poison", and I had my moment. Alice looked at me a few times over the course of the night(most notably that "get inside of your mind" thing), but he hadn't come near me with the "dirty diamonds," and the cane went a few rows up. (the riding crop went all the way to the other side of the stage, sadly) But during Poison, I got the point and the "come hither" fingers....I don't think there is anything hotter in the world than Alice's gloved fingers pointing at you and doing that little thing he does. Yowza.
I barely recovered for "Wish I was Born in Beverly Hills", which was fun. Especially when Alice picked up Paris's bag and did his little swishy walk. I've heard Under My Wheels enough times to not be all that excited about it as a closing number, but Alice made it better by making Roxie spin in circles faster and faster till I was sure the guitar was going to fly right out of his hands. There were a few times when guitar picks came flying in my direction, but I was not going to be one of the people scrabbling on the ground for it. I tipped my top hat to him during his introduction and he grinned a mile wide. So adorable.
And then it was all over. Some other things I didn't mention....I hardly looked at Damon all night, and I feel bad about it. He sounded fantastic, but he is just way too "timid" on stage! Chuck was a lot of fun...all smiles and lots of rock god moves. Eric seemed to be having a great time, probably because he was in his hometown! I thoroughly enjoyed his drum solo. Roxie, of course, was just a ball of energy from start to finish. He really got the crowd pumped up and worked the whole stage like a pro. Most of the time he was right in front of me though...wouldn't have it any other way. One of my favorite moments was when Alice "sent" him to the other side of the stage for a guitar solo, saying "go to work, Hollywood!"
And then the lights came up. And then Becky said "we're going back to Cooperstown."
to be continued.....

It's all down to the hug.....
My Cleveland Alice Cooper Concert Review

I had packed my "travel/dinner" outfit (black jeans, sneakers and Cooperstown t shirt) and my "concert outfit" (tuxedo pants, boots, and lace shirt with the "perfect target" neckline, and top hat) before going to the restaurant in the morning. When I was finally done with cooking, I changed into outfit #1, Becky came to pick me up, and we were off.
Got a slightly later thought than we had planned, but with the rainy weather it ended up being just fine. We weren't going to be walking around Cleveland in any case, so arriving just in time for dinner was perfect.
Stopped at the drugstore for a disposable camera and hairspray, then got on the road. The first sign that it was going to be a magical Roxie voyage was the fact that we got on the highway at exit 77...and then the road into Cleveland was Interstate 77! I was almost dorky enough to take a picture of the interstate sign, but happily I thought better of it. We listened through Dirty Diamonds, Eyes, and Goes to Hell, and then we were in Cleveland! We made one bad turn but found Cooperstown pretty quickly. (it is hard to miss Jacob's Field, and the restaurant is right across the street) There were plenty of fans in various states of makeup and concert t shirt there, having dinner and Poison Ale in the bar. We got our table quickly, ordered our beers and ribs, and settled in. Just as Becky remarked how inappropriate it was to be hearing Phil Collins over the sound system when Alice was in town, the manager switched the TVs over to Brutally Live. An audible cheer went through the place.
The food was very, very good...I love Coop's Coleslaw. We joked about "when does he have time to chop all that cabbage between golf, the radio show and nightly concerts?" Hahaha. I had two 22oz Poison Ales, by the way. The second one was MUCH LARGER than the first (plastic vs glass) The Billiondollarbabyback ribs are some of the finest ribs we've had in restaurants---and Becky especially is a coneisseur. We gave them excellent marks all around on the comment card. The staff were definitely on their best behavior and I'm sure they got some of the best tips of the year last night. I snuck into the back bathroom with my bag and changed into part of my concert outfit...decided against the tuxedo pants and the boots given the weather, but the "target shirt" was a must. Did my makeup under the watchful eyes of Alice and Salvador Dali.
We debated about walking over to the venue, but given the rain we decided to park the truck in the ampitheater lot. Got the shuttle down to the gate and spent some time wandering around. The "midway" was even less exciting than the one at Ozzfest, unfortunately, but some of the performers were pretty good. The girl on stilts was good, and the fire jugglers. Most of the booths were pretty lame, although I did buy a beautiful silkscreened poster. I got stopped by a card magician who was pretty good---he made it seem like somehow my card got in his pants. I tipped him a dollar and he looked shocked! We ran into Becky's aunt and her friend...they just happened to get tickets for the show at the mall one day. Ha!
So then, I went by to casually look at the merch booth. And suddenly I had "casually" dropped $73!!! They had several gorgeous new t shirt designs...the one I got has Alice on the front tipping his tophat and wifebeater that has "dirty diamonds" scrawled on the front(Alice Cooper in the DD font underneath), and a really cool snake logo with concert dates(not all of them) on the back. Also got a nice baseball cap for in the kitchen (Alice Cooper in the DD font on the front, dirty diamonds on the back) and the requisite keychain and window sticker. There was also an orange Halloween t shirt design, and a couple others that were really nice.
Spent a little time hunting for Roxie, and then gave up and went to our seats.
Sixth row was close enough that I could see facial expressions. I had somehow managed to magically seat myself in a direct line to Roxie's mic. And the guy in front of me was real short. It was perfect.
Sat through interminable ads for upcoming concerts (video games live?!?! WTF?!?!) and at one point, I spotted the guitarist of my dreams in his trucker cap walking along all the way on the other side of the venue. He seemed to be going into some kind of green room trailer, so I didn't figure it was worth trying to vault over the crowd. As I hadn't managed to connect with him via email before the show, I was kinda despairing that I might not actually get to talk to him. I convinced myself that would be okay. Little did I know.....

to be continued.....

Woohoo! As of last night, I am officially auxillary drummer in a Butthole Surfers cover band! We are learning 4 songs for a show called Lollapalooza-con05, where a bunch of local bands are covering bands that played Lollapalooza. As far as I could gather, no one is doing Jane's Addiction, which is a damn shame. However, there is rumor that someone IS doing Pearl Jam, which might make up for the fact that nobody played Pearl Jam at the GRUNGECON04 last year. We'll see.
I enjoyed myself way more than I expected to....I think it might be two years since I've picked up the drumsticks and despite the aches and pains and blisters, it was an incredibly exhilirating experience. Of course, part of the draw is that I get to play with two of my favorite all time local musicians....the guitar player and bass player from the 1985. And they seemed as excited to be playing with ME as I was to be playing with them, which gave me quite the ego stroking. The "main" drummer is a really nice fellow I had not met before who seemed suitably impressed with my playing. It was a little strange to be in the boys club atmosphere of a band practice, but I really dug it.
So, the songs we are doing are: Cherub(my favorite, it actually sounds a lot like Dead at 24); Negro Observer; Gary Floyd; and The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave, which is not so much a SONG as noise and screaming. Fun. I got completely in the ZONE and just pounded my fool heart out. Floor tom, snare and china cymbal, which apparently I am supposed to light on fire. We'll see about that too.
In a little over six hours I will be on my way to Cleveland. I can't begin to express how happy this makes me.

It's astounding.....time is fleeting......

It's T-1 to Alice Cooper, and I can barely concentrate on the tasks at hand! Today is a long day at the restaurant but luckily I have beaucoups projects to occupy me...granola and cleaning and organizing and excel spreadsheet making. I am so very proud of myself for learning how to make an excel spreadsheet! There are a few more details I need to figure out (like how to make a chart from only some of the info in a spreadsheet, etc) but overall I took a little online tutorial last night and it all came flooding back. Now I have charts of covers per shift and menu items per day. The world is my analyzin-oyster.

In other news, tonight I am supposed to be going to practice with Young Men's Dept to be part of their Butthole Surfers cover act for Lollapalooza-con'05. Apparently, I am going to be required to do "the thing with the upside down cymbal full of lighterfluid". I don't know what this thing is....in fact, I know next to nothing about the Butthole Surfers. I look forward to learning, but mostly I look forward to actually getting to play with two of my all time favorite musicians in Pittsburgh. And just getting up on a stage again will be grand.

The other project for today which is going to occupy a lot of my time is finding my black lace shirt. The one that shows a lot of clevage. I have to make sure I am a perfect target for those dirty diamonds.....

It's day two of my new and improved life, and so far it is every bit as awesome as I had hoped it would be. So far I have listened to a lot of LIVE and gotten two spreadsheets built in Excel to track restaurant sales. I've done a shit ton of laundry. I've eaten some whole grains. I'm about to get moving on the dishes. Just need to work the yoga into the mix and I'll be a super woman!
I haven't had a single urge for a cigarette since my latest bout of coughing up a lung trauma. I think I am celebrating two weeks without smoke today. Hope this keeps up. If I can actually get myself to do yoga semi regularly, I'm pretty sure the desire to smoke will not return. Of course, I don't look as cool. No matter what Brooke Sheilds says.
The weekend was a thrift store orgy....I had a lot of buyers remorse, but I also HAD to do it. I got several very useful things, like new bathroom rugs and towels, and a gorgeous pair of brazilian black leather ankle boots, and a straw tote bag, and some gorgeous sweaters. I also got a beat up copy of Darkness At the Edge of Town, which makes me feel cool. Not to mention a Traffic album. And I bought a bunch of cookbooks, because I cannot resist. Some of them aren't so good, though, and that is where the remorse comes in. The big ticket item, however, is a desk hutch which makes me feel so very pimpy. My printer and lamp and Alice Cooper in the box and Taco Bell Communist Dog are on top of it, and there is a little cabinet for paper, which has a pirate flag affixed to it(yeah, I put it there) Then there is space underneath for desk accessories, and my corkboard shows through. I love it.
So yeah, it's fall, and every fall I think this is the year I am totally going to get my shit together. Humor me.