Casino queen, my lord you're mean...

Not a lot of sleep lately - a vicious cycle perpetuated by too much caffeine and frenzied late-night conversations.

Sigh. A week ago today I was visiting the cute puffins at the awesome, gigantic, totally free St. Louis Zoo. Today I'm nostalgic even for the midwestern humidity.

Some of the trip's highlights:

• Scattered and smothered hashbrowns and a pecan waffle at the Waffle House.
• Riding to the top of the St. Louis Arch at night and watching the baseball game from that amazing vantage point.
• The Casino Queen's dollar well drinks and priceless people watching
• Having Wilco's "Casino Queen" stuck in my head for three days straight...
  
• Chuck Berry!
• Chuck Berry's son buying and wearing a Haints shirt on stage
• Chuck Berry mentioning the Haints - specifically Cory's guitar playing - from the stage
• Chuck Berry!
• Snagging a Porter Wagner / Skeeter Davis duets LP at Vintage Vinyl - for next to nothing
  
• The Levine Hat Store
• The sippable sundae at the Steak & Shake
• The "Highway Man" singalong in the Radisson piano bar...
• Penguins and puffins and monkeys, oh my....
• Bloody marys on a *#!ing plane

Some not-so-good things about the St. Louis trip

• The Sour Hour bartender
• Chuck Berry bailing before we could get autographs
• Nonstop smoking wherever you go...
• That No. Liquids.On.A.Plane rule...
• The claustrophobic woman who freaked out on the ride up to the top of the Arch....

Eventually, I'll have photos...they need to be cleaned up a little and I need a new camera because mine is very creaky and I ended up losing at least 50 photos because my camera kept insisting the files were "unrecognizable" whenever I tried to upload them to my computer.

People are annoying me today so I'll leave you with this quote that's posted on the Google desktop homepage today.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss.


Also, tonight, at the Crocker Art Museum you should check this out:

Crocker Contemporaries Forum
Time; 6-8pm
Cost: free to members, $10 to non-members
Topic: Punk: Then and Now
Speakers: Kepi (Groovie Ghoulies), Jerry Perry (Alive & Kicking), Paul Imagine (Rock Art Poster Society)

from the Crocker's site:

The second lecture in our Pop Culture Series asks the question, “What is Punk?” Join us for a discussion that will include the origin of Punk, its current state and more. Check out a film with the Contemporaries on Saturday, August 26 to further explore Punk in Pop Culture.

This is a Crocker Contemporaries event, created especially for those who share an interest in the contemporary art world. Learn more about the Crocker Contemporaries.

Program begins at 7 PM. A reception including light hors d'oeuvres hosted by 4th Street Grille and no-host bar featuring R.H. Phillips wines, will run from 6-7 PM.

See you there.