My mom and Martino are both on their way to Portland right now. Mom is representing Traverse City, Mich. and is coming in as “MIdwest Matriarch” to oversee “goings on” this weekend at my little sister’s baby shower. Marty is representing Colico, Italy and is coming in as “He Who Gets Shit Done” for our “quarterly cage match” for the Union Binding Company.

Mom is here to shower shit up. I just feel better when my mom is around. Cosmic, really.

Martino is here to make logos, colors, web plans, ad ideas with George and I for Union. Oh yeah, George comes tomorrow, and he better be on his fuckin’ “A Game.” Shit’s gonna get hairy down here.

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BEST THING I’VE SEEN ALL DAY: A collection of “run-off messages from records.” So awesome. (Via Chunklet’s Twitter feed.)

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PRETTY SURE I’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE: But it being early and all, it escapes me. Here goes: “Alphabet Trucks.”

And shit, check this real spirit-lifting set out: “Twenty Six Abandoned Gasoline Stations.” Makes you want to crawl under a rock, or off into the Wilderness, or something. Low spirits.

(Orville Esoy sent this one in, and we thank him. What a kick ass name, man!)

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BY THE POWER OF DDC, I COMMAND THAT YOU ACQUIRE ONE OF THESE: Kate Bingaman-Burt really needs to get moving. You know, break out of that shell some. In between doing a million awesome things to the design world and millions of adoring students, she manages to make a book! You better buy one. Consume this. Get obsessive. We salute you, Kate!

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LOW END RIG AMPLIFICATION UNIT: David Wm. Sims plays a mean fuckin’ bass, and, is very well read. Most impressive list I’ve seen, regarding anything, in a long while. Me, I’m still wrastlin’ with Pet Sematary and The DaVinci code. Just kiddin’, fuckers. Although, I’ve been itchin’ to read The Stand for the 17th time or something.

Here’s what I am hemming and hawing on, in the literary field:

01. Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin (Hell yes, Willy!)
02. Call of the Wild by Jack London (My first time!)
03. The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer (Thing weighs two pounds!)
04. Big Sur by ol’ Jack Kerouac (Spurred on by Jay Farrar’s boring album tribute…)

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FROM DEREK SCHILLE, IN THAT WINDY-ASS CITY BY THE LAKE: “Russian board games from the ’20s and ’30s.” Fun for the whole family unit, comrades! Weird. ткладывают парные картинки!

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ON THE PLAYER:

01. Jesus Lizard - Liar
02. Cat Power - Moon Pix
03. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do
04. Young James Long - You Ain’t Known The Man Rock!