An escalating problem

At the St. Louis Public Library downtown

Meet Heather Morris

Girl, you lost your generic peanut butter

At Soldiers Memorial downtown

Want.

Target has always been my favorite supplier of typography-themed home accessories. Here's the newest thing I want. Too bad my shower has a door and no need for a curtain.

There's also a matching set of towels! I bought one of the big ones, just for fun.

River deep (mountain high)

The Mississippi has escaped its usual confines again. Yesterday it was up to the first step at the Arch.

My adorable parents

My parents (Steve and Debbie) love having a lawn to care for. I did not inherit that gene.

Don't get struck by a speeding car on North Tucker

Readying for repairs on the Tucker bridge (it's collapsing rapidly; check the giant holes in the sidewalk), workers have removed all the helpful traffic signals from Convention to MLK. They've been temporarily replaced by flimsy stop signs that blow over in the slightest wind, which means no one is doing any stopping.

Foolishness, mayhem and nonsense.

Downtown development

I've had my eye on this vacant building at the corner of Washington Avenue and 15th Street for quite a while. I've always thought it'd make a great cabaret. And it has giant doors all along one side that could be opened to give the space an open-air feel when the weather is nice.

All that to say the for-lease signs recently were taken down. Perhaps some developer is about to make my vision a reality!

Update: Sources say no licenses or permits have been applied for at this space. It's likely that a new leasing company has taken over, which is why the old sign is gone.

Strike a pose

Our adorable shar pei Bartlet once again will be famous. He'll be pictured on the cover of the annual Summer Fun guide, brought to you by Go! magazine and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The cover won't be all about Bartlet this year, though. (Last year's is at left.) There will be many exciting things happening in the cover photo. But thanks to the magic of Photoshop, all models needn't be present in order to be pictured together.

Above, you see genius photographer Johnny L. White and Doggydaddy James Slover.

Showoff

The man at far right is running. Also, he is juggling. You have to squint to see that because I didn't take his picture when he was closer.

What men really want

But she doesn't remember your name

Obligatory Arch photo

Yesterday evening was my inaugural Outdoor Run for 2010. Usually I opt for the treadmill because I can just hop off any time I'm feeling winded/unmotivated/over it. But it was such a lovely day, and I had left the office at a reasonable hour, so I took to the streets.

To prove it, here's a photo I took of the Gateway Arch.

Am I correct in assuming that every St. Louisan has at least one photo of the Arch on their cell phone at all times? No? Just me? Very well.

NOTICE!!!!!!!

One of these things is not like the others

What an odd compilation of items, presumably left behind by one of the many homeless who loiter about the St. Louis Public Library. These canned goods look like they may be a few decades past their expiration dates.

The coffee reminds me of a funny Homeless Encounter, though.

One day, on my walk to the office, Stanley, whom I see almost daily, stopped me and asked if I could help him with a cup of coffee. Usually I say no -- I am not an ATM, after all. But I obliged and fished a buck out of my wallet and handed it to him.

Stanley looked disappointed. "Um, coffee is like a dollar and something," he rudely informed me.

"Sorry, Stanley."

I guess beggars really can be choosers.

Who is Paul Allen?

Sometime between last night and this afternoon, the dust on my Blazer was autographed, presumably by someone named Paul Allen. Perhaps he's an athlete, which would explain the "4." Or maybe he started to write his phone number and stopped suddenly.

Girl, you lost more shoes