Here is a recent picture from over Christmas with my brother and his wife’s 5-month old triplets.

They were fun but quite a bit of work…. for the TWELVE of us gathered there to cater to their every need.

triplets Uncle Mat with L-R Ava, Conor, Daniel

Even though it is not baseball season I still find it necessary to dress up in my Angel gear when visiting the pro-Dodger family enclaves.
If you click the picture twice it is a massive image of the beautiful kids … and adorable me as well !

We made it back from a whirlwind of holiday driving and visiting. Home sweet home. Loft sweet loft. converted industrial warehouse sweet conv– … you get the picture.

I was in San Diego this morning at a Starbucks and I had one of those classic “Stepford Moments” where you just snap and run from the conformity. Thankfully I got hit with this terror when they were done with my espressos and vanilla bean latte…

In the 70s it was the Stepford Wives in this decade it is the Stepford Husbands … no Cadiallac Escalade, purebred Labrador, microstitched jogging suit and eco-friendly baby carrier needed to justify my silver goatee, dude…

So we went to Las Vegas for a Christmas present as a couple. Saw the Beatles LOVE at the Mirage and if it costs me any punk rock points I still must rave about it. The Cirque du Soleil is a grand combo of pretense and props, athleticism and artistry. If they called themselves Dada du Solei or Performance Art du Soleil they would be in the art history books and penniless. Instead they label their performance art “Circus” and become a billion dollar conglomerate, collaborating with the Beatles’ producer George Martin and having custom theaters built for them at the Bellagio, etc.

So while the late-70s stage show Beatlemania was getting to see a perfect simulation of the Beatles performing together, LOVE is like piercing the conceptual lining of their actual songs. It is overwhelming and would be tough to quantify with words. As a critic, this is frustrating as the gift of descriptive and cutting gab rarely eludes me, but the epic scope of this production will require at least one more visit. If you like the Beatles in the least, the music is reworked, revitalized and the production is a visual orgy.

Oh, and I won a lot of money in Sin City, so that helps make for a good review!

We are heading out of town again to family stuff at mine and hers now. Whirlwind for sure. Happy Holidays everyone!

This is a YouTube Video of a short performance at a Downtown L.A. Art party in 1987. You can’t see me in the crowd, but I was there. The artwork being auctioned is a framed collection of 50 one dollar bills - the origin of the name 50 Bucks. The auctioneer is the late Todd Warren. No idea who the vandal is.

We were supposed to go to some Holiday parties but both of us are under the weather… we have some travelling to do next week and it requires us to be as healthy as possible. So there is nothing like idly surfing the net on a Saturday night. I cannot say this year was a complete waste - let’s just call it a plateau, not a decline, not an incline, not what i feared but not what i was hoping for.

I have always disliked the art of Sigmar Polke, but apparently (according to this story), it is quite popular among some German youth…

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

The one logic question that I thought I got wrong I went back and changed thinking it would increase my score and I had gotten it right, so i left the tampering alone and present you with this disappointing score…

I actually took a lot more time with this test than my blase’ demeanor might suggest…

What does it mean when a goup of otherwise sane adults look at one of their own aghast when the fact that I have never seen Shrek - nor have any idea what it is about -is disclosed?

I have had a few writing gigs lately and a few more are on the way, no lack of work, no lack of bills, a good pace I guess, a good place to be as well.

My mom told me that my nephew, who s about to turn six, is getting bumped up from kindergarten to 1st grade after only 4 months of the former. He has already beat me at Chutes & Ladders, Battleship and Improvisational Star Wars Trivia Contest While Driving. I am still dominating him at checkers – perhaps over Christmas I will teach him Texas Hold ‘Em.

We went to the Getty on Sunday, it really is the best place for a date – 8 bucks to park, maybe twenty bucks at the cafeteria. If you just want to walk and talk in an environment that inspires you to walk and talk without overbearing stimulation, this is the place – maybe I am getting old or comfortable or mellow, but seeing as we are hitting Vegas next week, NAH…

Well, the Brewery Artwalk is scheduled for April 21 and 22, we had the big Board of Directors meeting last night, the budget looks fine, we have many of the roles set out, it all looks good and well-organized.

I’m going to Gallery C tonight to see two artists talk abut their work, both are good, one I am very intrigued with is Jennifer Poon, whose intense drawings create the sense of recoil and simultaneous invitation. They creep me out but keep me up at night in recollection. I wouldn’t want to own one but a collector who did would have my esteem for getting beyond “pretty” and “shocking”.

Other than that, I had a good afternoon at the Commerce Casino, rode down there with Salerno, then realized i had a few writing projects overdue and got out of there while I was ahead. I’ve been writing since 9 pm…