Lucifer's Redemption

“Lucifer’s Redemption” is written by Brett Dean McGibbon, and published by “Different Fish” publishing, a publishing business based in Seattle founded by McGibbon himself.
LR is the story of James, who is the devil born as a human, who takes a motorcycle trip to Alaska and meets Michelle. In the chapter “The first time I have ever slept with God” he and Michelle go down below in his boat “where we could be close.” After this, Michelle leaves James for another man. As a result of this relationship, however, James concludes that “if I ever was the devil, I was no longer.”
Although this is the story summarized in the preface and eulogy, LR redemption seems to really be about much more.
James decides to leave Syracuse when his heart is broken by his girlfriend’s abortion, and he realizes that in order to travel “all you need is gas money and a bunch of peanut butter sandwiches.” He journeys to to Alaska via Seattle. While in Alaska, he works on fishing boat and discovers that “normally there’s a solution for everything. You just call the cable guy or the plumber and soon the problem is gone. Not so on a fishing boat...you have to be able to solve all problems yourself.”
These back-to-the-earth conditions lead James to conclude that it’s most important to have “well rounded skills to extract a living from the earth, not from the CEO’s and stock owners...knowledge of the tides and currents; of the ways of the fish and weather; knowledge of the boats and sails or engines.” (This line reminds me of two lawyers who I used to work for who wrote a check and two Hispanics showed up at their house with weed whackers and cleared out their weed-infested yard, and a money-grubbing professional who I also worked for who fixed the broken drawer in his kitchen with duct tape.)
Additionally, James undergoes a religious conversion on his journey. “My heart had been touched and had opened and love had streamed in....it was Christ love or agape love or Jesus loving me fully, deeply to my core.” The book includes some beautiful passages on the Holy Spirit.

Probably the biggest issue I had with Lucifer’s Redemption is that the discoveries about life and himself that James makes on his motorcycle trip make a better story than the ‘central story’ about Lucifer being redeemed. I don’t sense that this character of ‘satan’ is well developed; it is never explained why satan, who’s role traditionally has been to “steal and kill and destroy” has come onto earth in the form of a hopeless romantic. James reminds me more of the “Skipper” character from Sex and The City. (Except that Skipper went for older women and James' type seems to be the fertile-earth-goddess with enormous birthing hips.)
Even though the book is written in first person, suggesting that everything is seen through the eyes of the “James/Lucifer” character, I sense that much of the novel is the voice of the narrator breaking through, and offering his insights and opinions on so many subjects, ranging from tipping at a restaurant, to the war in Iraq, and to Canada vs. US.


I really like McGibbon’s originality in his writing; for example, he calls Seattle the city “where the woodsman and the Jetsons mix and have kids”. And he writes in a sweet and simple tone; “I wanted to quit people. I wasn’t going to love anyone or let anyone close to me until I met my one girl.” You get the feeling he’s the kind of guy who cuddles up with a teddy bear every night and goes to sleep in Star Wars pajamas.
The descriptions that McGibbon makes of James’ trip are great; “I would come around a bend and crest a hill where the horizon would recede miles and miles from me across a valley to snow capped mountains...Dignity is what it had, the beauty that queens emulated. I wanted to shriek, I wanted to stomp, I was undignified, I wanted to fuck the whole world right there--and after a cigarette I felt like I had.”
I found the unconventionality of this book a HUGE breath of fresh air....how he has written it, bound it, and sells it on the street himself.

(great bod!)
This dude has had quite the recurring presence in Seattle, selling books outside of Monorail Espresso downtown and in front of Broadway News on Broadway for years now. I first encountered him 5-6 years ago when he was passing out his poetry for free. He only secludes himself when he is working on a new book, or taking another road trip up to Alaska. McGibbon has sold 4800 copies of Lucifer’s Redemption and supports himself through book sales--good for him!

Last Thursday on Alberta

Yesterday I participated in the Last Thursday Art on Alberta.


This is a very organic, laid back art show where you essentially find a spot on the side of the street on Alberta and set up your art work! It turned out to be an exceptionally warm night, and so was well-attended. At 7:00 the streets are shut off from traffic.





It amazes me that this Art Walk can be so successful and low-key at the same time.....unlike so many of the craft fairs/art walks that I have participated in which seem to THRIVE on bureaucracy! These are some photos of my little booth.








And here is some paintings from the much-admired "Brett" who paints his work on pieces of wood and in window frames. I love this one of Alice, looking into Wonderland!

He brought up as much paintings as would fit into his truck.

We definitely soaked in a lot of sun!

Betsy

The Betsy is named after my awesome business advisor, Betsy Talbot. She lives in Seattle and advises women solopreneurs. I felt indebted to her for the advice she gave to me, and so decided to name this little purse after her--and it is one of my top sellers!!!



I've modified this purse a little bit recently, taking out the outside pockets so that it has only one main pocket. Additionally, I have changed the long strap to that it ties with a bow and is adjustable. This way, it can be worn by big girls and little girls alike.



You can purchase a Betsy here. It costs $10. The Betsy closes with a button or else a tie. It is made with 100% recycled materials, and is machine washable.

Credit Card Holder

I just designed this little credit card holder.




It closes with a button, and holds credit cards or business cards on either side. Still trying to figure out who I can name this thing after...maybe my roommate? I don't know.





Look, I have made quite a few! Plan to get these onto my website/etsy store ASAP!!!!!!!!!

Freewrite

As the wind whipped across the water he lost control of the tiller and the sail started to flap helplessly in the wind. He looked so pathetic in his neon life-vest, moaning out to his brother, his little hands gripping the side of the boat. His weight from leaning on the edge combined with the force of the wind caused the boat to tip - he was capsizing - and since in his terror he didn't have the presence of mind to step over the sailboat and onto the centerboard like we had learned in the swimming-pool simulation, it started to turtle.
He repeatedly called out to his brother, "Aaron" in a weak, high-pitched voice, and this vision of him and the sail slowly burying itself under the water to this day makes me laugh.
His brother and I would run into each other frequently years later, wandering the streets of Belltown. Once we found each other after a sweltering day at Bumbershoot. I was with my sister and the three of us walked home together. He was the first person to tell me about the Sit and Spin--things like that excited him.
"People here are weird," Monica said. "Like that lady - who is she?"
We glanced across the street to a tall, thin woman with long wavy hair, jet black except for a single strand of blonde.
"I don't know," I said.
"L.A. transplant?" Aaron suggested.
"No, not her, her," Monica gestured about 1/2 a block ahead of us, to a person with hot-pink leggings, and I recognized the he-she who I had kept running into at the Foo-Fighter's concert.

New Lizzy Coin Purse

News Flash! I have updated the Lizzy coin purse, and instead of having it close with a button it now closes with a zipper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This recommendation came from my sister Monica who told me that she would "totally" use the Lizzy if it had a zipper so that it could store small change!

The Old Lizzy




The New Lizzy






See I have made many many Lizzy's! You can by them here! Only $5, they are going FAST!!!!!!!!

Monica Montag Backpack

The Monica Montag backpack is named after a lady who I knew when I lived in Seattle. We worked at St. Joseph's Parish on Capital Hill on Sunday mornings, taking care of the 1-3 year olds while their parents attended Mass. I had that job for about two years...Monica lives out in West Seattle and we still keep in touch from time to time.

Monica was the kind of person who always wore a backpack and never carried a purse, which is why I thought that to name this backpack after her!




I love this Precious Moments logo on the purse.....I have come across some Strawberry Shortcake and so plan to incorporate that in to some purses as well.




The Monica Montag is 13" by 13" and has two inside pockets, pencil holders and two outside pockets that close with buttons. It is machine washable, and made from 100% recycled materials. The Monica Montag costs $30 - you can buy one here.

Yesterday I volunteered to help decorate the floats in the Portland Rose Festival Parade!



This is the float that we worked on




And here's me, at the enjoyable task of glueing moss onto the float!


I LOVED this bird, and esp the close ups....






Leaves and dried fruit were used to decorate the neck and head!











Dried pineapple pieces were used for the wings. All the decorating supplies were natural; dyed coconut, poppyseeds, corn kernels, rice, moss and dried fruit and dried flowers! It was amazing how beautiful the finished products looked like!












Here's a hungry hungry hippo and dragon, two of the most amazing floats that will be in the parade!!!

"My Horizontal Life" A Collection of One-Night Stands

I just banged through Chelsea Handler's "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of one-night stands" and may well have earned myself another 2 1/2 more years in purgatory. Published in 2005, the book recounts some (highly exaggerated?) one-night stands she experienced in her 20s while living in New Jersey and L.A.

Although certain passages in this book might have made Hustler magazine look puritanical, I thought that a lot of it was quite funny.

Consider this passage:

"The problem is that everyone who gets married seem to think that they are the first person in the entire universe to do it, and that year leading up to the event revolves entirely around them. You have to throw them showers, bachelorette weekends, buy a bridesmaid dress, and then buy a ticket to some godforsaken town wherever they decided to drag you. If you're really unlucky, they'll ask you to recite a poem at their wedding. That's just what I want to do--monitor my drinking until I'm done with my public service announcement. And what do we get out of it, you ask? A dry piece of chicken and a roll in the hay with their hillbilly cousin. I could get that at home, thanks."

And this line: "He was minutes away from getting his first period."

She also has some fun with language; "I had just been inspired to cut my own bangs....In short, I looked as if I had lost a fight with a pair of craft scissors." and "Oh wow, I love those shoes," was my soulful response."

Her girl friend Dumb Dumb and her Mormon sister Sloane make frequent appearances in the story. It is a little bit hard to read these stories since she is never ever ever serious, it is always her slapstick style of humor....except maybe for this one line at the beginning of "Desperado"; "Have you ever experienced a pain so sharp in your heart that it is all you can do to take a breath?...it's the pain of being betrayed by the person with whom you have fallen in love." And as I alluded to earlier, a more appropriate 2nd name for this book might be "The true confessions of a skank-ho".

de Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco

Last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit for the first time the "de Young" Fine Arts Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I think that it was only about $10 to get into this museum, very reasonable.

Here are just a few of the spectacular sights I saw!



Loved the safety pin sculpture outside the museum.



Check out the Edward Hopper!




This painting is so happy and colorful!




I love this sort of kitchy religious art.




Also they had a very nice Amish Quilt exhibit....but no pictures, unfortunately, were allowed.