Personal watermelon

Something adorable

Come to my window.

On my way out of the parking garage a few weeks ago, I noticed Bartlet watching me from the window. I think he had something important he wanted to tell me.

I want these half-face pots

Bigmouths.

At Gringo Jones. Or possibly the Bug Store. It all runs together.

Lights-n-things!! Come-n-see

M M Good!

I'm unsure what's being promoted.

Do these furry boots and this tail make me look like a woodland creature?

Boots. With the fur.

Yes.

Genetically modified

I almost bought a cactus from Home Depot today. But then I realized all the flowers are hot-glued on. #lamesauce

Things at Target I want but don't need

Happy Beautiful Day Dearest

File this under "Things crazy people email me."

Big Brother is wotching

Obvious advice

From nothing, a street

A new Tucker Boulevard is taking shape!
View from one of the north-facing windows at 900 N. Tucker Blvd.

Here's where a street and the Interco Plaza used to be.

Furries in the wild

"You wear the legs; I'll wear the face."

The scene at 900 N. Tucker

Soon, we'll be an island.

Officially, we are an island.

Hello, kitty

Meow meow beautiful meow.

Tribute to Sir Mix-a-Lot

Got buns?

Drama queen

Check yo'self.

Crestwood Court lies

Truth-O-Meter says "Pants on fire."

Vee-Jay(-Jay)

Styrofoam + concrete + dirt

The latest conditions on Tucker.

Grand staircase to nowhere

Long legs required.

The North Tucker Styrofoam Project has almost reached street level!

Even at 75% off ...

Dead, dead, dead.

... these dead Target roses are overpriced.

Punctuation is hard

Some restrictions apply.

"T"

At the Salvation Army store in Jackson, Mo.

Eletric chair

Eletric sold separately.

Works good

Congratulations on your circumcision

Other: Too soon to tell.

I believe this arrived in error.

Not an island

How tropical.

The mannequins of Macy's

Nude or this awful frock?

Breezy.

Buttoned up.

Girl, please.

Reverse tight-roll.

Tight. White.

They're a horribly dressed lot.

So long, Interco Plaza

No longer a place to pee.

Hey Kendall what's up

Becarefully

Found in the snow.

It's time for Snowpocalypse Bingo!

twitter.com/weatherbird
(Dan Martin)

If you're stuck at home -- judging from today's workplace turnout, a lot of you are -- print yourself a few of these bingo cards, turn on your favorite (or least favorite) TV meteorologist and get ready for some serious LOLZ.

You can thank my friend and colleague Erica Smith for this. She's genius -- and she does great imitations.

Ice, ice, baby

St. Charles Street between 15th and 16th streets

MetroBus shelter at 14th and Washington

KMOV field trip

The view across the studio from the news set

Do not use this sink.

This morning, I went along with my friend and colleague Evan for his appearance on "Great Day St. Louis" at KMOV. I was his celebrity handler, which means I shlepped his gear into the studio and made sure he powdered his face.

It had been years since I'd been in a TV studio, though, so I mostly just observed the process. Notable:

• KMOV's three studio camera are unmanned. Except for one handheld camera, they're remote controlled by a guy sitting at a desk.

• Everything on TV looks huge. In reality, the set is tiny. The "Great Day" set can't be more than 40 feet wide. Across the room is the news set; the robotic cameras roll between the two.

• Also, many set pieces are faux and/or covered in Scotch tape, apparently not visible on TV.

• Dull colors photograph brilliantly, and dim light becomes bright light. It's magic, I tell you.

• The kitchen is fully functional except for the sink. Do not use the sink. No!

• I had an overwhelming urge to clean the stainless steel and dust the cabinets.

See the rest of my exciting behind-the-scenes photos here.

A very Bravo birthday

Thanks, @BravoAndy!

My super-awesome birthday gift from Gail Pennington and Andy Cohen.

Review: Stylish 'Dralion' has plenty of Cirque du Soleil substance

Cirque du Soleil is known for infusing circus acts with a healthy dose of theatrics and storytelling, and "Dralion," at Chaifetz Arena through Sunday, is a spectacular display of the company's artistic talents.

The premise of this show: Air, water, fire and earth take on human forms, and cultures from around the world harmoniously blend with nature. There's no narrative or storyline — though two vocalists frequently sing falsetto in a made-up language — so it's easy to focus on the talented performers.

And there's a lot of talent.

In an energetic feat that was a highlight of Act 1, six aerialists bounce back and forth on two trampolines, using a futuristic, metal wall for diving and landing. At times, they even seem to be walking on the wall.

Contortionist Han Yuzen twists her limber body in an elegant balancing sequence performed atop a rotating post in the center of the stage.

A beautiful routine called "Aerial Pas de Deux" showcases the strength and flexibility of two equally beautiful aerialists (Amanda Orozco and Lorant Markocsany), who intertwine and glide through the air on a piece of blue fabric.

An African-inspired hoop-diving sequence features 10 performers who dive through a series of tiny hoops, some of which rotate.

And in an upbeat Act 1 finale, we meet the show's namesake, the Dralion, a hybrid of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion characters. Tumblers inside Dralion costumes dance to country-style music and balance effortlessly on large, wooden balls.

"Dralion" has a few issues with pacing. The momentum established by high-energy acts is brought to a halt repeatedly by a trio of French-speaking clowns whose presence in this show is inexplicable. While they get laughs, their belabored bits rely heavily on participation from an audience member (we've seen enough circuses to know what's up) who is brought on stage several times.

A moving musical score, which includes sounds and instruments from around the world, is performed by five musicians, mostly obscured behind the set.

In true Cirque du Soleil style, "Dralion" is a technically complicated spectacle, with lights and moving parts everywhere. But it also has plenty of substance to delight and entertain.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 01.20.11

I am a sentimental man

Cake!

My nearest and dearest organized a completely amazing 30th birthday surprise party for me last night. Yes, I was surprised.

The cake was my favorite part. On it was an enlargement of the business card (Dad's) that Mom wrote my name, weight and such on for my grandma when I was born. Grandma had kept it in her wallet all these years and gave it to me a few weeks ago.

It was a fantastic birthday. Thanks to all who made it so special!

Found: doughnuts

Not hot.

Theater review: Metro Theater brings young-adult favorite 'The Giver' to life

Mitchell List as Jonas (left) and Nicholas Kryah as the Giver in Metro
Theater Company's production of "The Giver" (Photo by Dunsi Dai)

The inhabitants of the futuristic community in "The Giver" are fortunate to live without the things we hope never to endure: war, poverty, hunger, pain. But they also lack the things that make us who we are: choices, differences, memories, love.

In this world, everyone wears the same gray uniform. Children, one boy and one girl, are issued to each set of parents; spouses are assigned. Climate control has made sunlight and snow obsolete. And careers are given to children when they turn 12.

Young Jonas finds out his job assignment: He will train to become the new Receiver of Memory, a respected position that will expose him to things he's been shielded from all his life. The current Receiver of Memory, whom Jonas refers to as the Giver, holds the memories of life before Sameness began. Without him, memories of the past would return to the community members.

Young-adult author Lois Lowry created this dystopian world in 1994, and playwright Eric Coble adapted her Newbery Medal-winning book for the stage. It's presented by Metro Theater Company and the Edison Theatre.

Coble's adaptation is true to Lowry's story, and at just over an hour, it's easy for young audiences to digest. But older audience members may yearn for more explanation and development, especially as Jonas plans a daring escape from the life that's been chosen for him.

Carol North's direction of the troupe, which includes double casting in the children's roles (an energetic and delightful Christian Probst was Jonas in Saturday's performance), is flawless. Scenic design by Dunsi Dai is simple yet stylish, and lights by John Wylie bring the Giver's memories to life and fill the gray stage with color. Props are kept to a minimum, but creative sound design by Rusty Wandall and effects by Lance Garger give dimension to the actors' frequently pantomimed actions.

Metro veteran Nicholas Kryah makes the Giver warm and lovable, and Stephanie Strohman and David Wassilak are Jonas' eternally cheerful mother and father.

Issues with the actors' microphones, which seem unnecessary in a house the size of the Edison Theatre, plagued the show on Saturday evening, but "The Giver" is otherwise a compelling and thought-provoking piece of family theater.

And it will do what good theater should: Give you something to talk about.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 01.14.11

New section of Tucker closes for demo

Closed.

Today, workers barricaded the segment of North Tucker Boulevard from Convention to MLK. (In fact, they did so as I was walking to work, and I became briefly trapped in the fenced-in area.)

Also, here's a story by colleague Tim Bryant about what the construction means for downtown.

Girl, you lost your weave

Gross.

Also gross.

Last night, some morons played beauty parlor in our building's community room, complete with a salon hair dryer. Today, the carpet is covered in hair clippings. We just can't have nice things up in here.

I'm quickly becoming That Old Guy Who Complains About His Neighbors All The Time. Only because I'm surrounded by idiots, though.

Styrofoam — not snow

Looking north at North Tucker Boulevard. At right, the Post-Dispatch.
In the distance, with the satellite dishes on its roof, is KDNL.
In the foreground is a chain-link fence to protect us
from falling into the big hole.

Here's the scene on North Tucker Boulevard: A layer of Styrofoam blocks is down, and dirt is going in at the western side of that. I want to go walk on it, but I'm not sure why. This video by my colleague Huy Mach explains a bit of the process and includes some explanation of why this project is necessary.

Also, this just in from our HR department:

Jan. 14: Barriers and fencing will be placed at the south corner of Tucker and MLK and at Tucker and Convention Plaza. Detour signs will also be placed.


Jan. 17: Demolition of Tucker from the south MLK corner to St. Patrick Center will begin. MLK will remain open to traffic.


Jan. 14: A dirt ramp will be built from Interco Plaza to the tunnel under Tucker. Parking on Hadley will not be affected, but there will be increased truck traffic.