spicedogs | Entries tagged with garrison keillor

( In spring, a person's thoughts turn toward what you would rather be doing than earning a living, and in this country that means Being An Artist. )

( Ah, last week, his article was akin to shite. After I made my comments about how awful last week's entry was and how he should have used his editing skills, I started to feel bad. I should have used my own editing skills; after all, the man had just lost his brother. Where was my sensitivity? When you are in the public eye, there's no escaping, you go on. It doesn’t matter that your heart is breaking. The show must go on. Of course, he was not able to deliver good-quality work. However, today’s article is a gem. It’s good-old vintage Keillor. It’s the wry sarcasm that I so love. So, without further ado, I present you with Keillor’s view of the AIG bonus blunder. )

Current Music: Harry Connick, Jr. - It Had To Be You | Powered by Last.fm

Found this in a forum:

Two great places to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul:

Minneapolis: Hennepin Ave. has the original Buca DiBeppo, easily the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life! (I am not exaggerating.)

St. Paul: A block from the Fitzgerald Theater is the immortal Mickey's Dining Car. Food nothing to write home about (altho the hash browns, using fresh potatoes and tons of butter are probably the best hash browns I've ever eaten, and I'm not a hash brown guy), but the atmosphere is an experience unto itself. Loud and crowded even at 3 in the afternoon, the waitresses are true characters (a sassy twentysomething waitress who showed up late was told by her passive/agressive boss it'd be a good idea to leave home earlier next time, snapped back "I have an even better idea! Why don't you fuck off?" I fell in love with her instantly.), and everything is covered with grease. The guy I sat next to at the counter was an elderly gentlemen who was counting up the day's spare change. Again, it's not about the food, it's about the experience. Open 24/7/365, Free Parking, and you better damn know what you want when the waitress asks you! I asked if Garrison Keillor really came there every Saturday after his radio show, the cashier lady went "Yup." As I leave, the super-gruff on-the-edge-of-elderly guy at the counter next to her said "And we kick his ass right back out to the street again!" I'm definitely going back there!

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Margaritaville

( Keillor doesn't like Rush Limbaugh. Well, neither do I. But what I don't understand is why doesn't he like disability protection and why he tied these two unrelated topics into one. Disability protection is there to help people who have true disabilities to make ends meet. I do admit that there are frauds when it comes to disability awards or any other social enterprise. To lump those who commit fraud with those who do not is just plain wrong, Mr. Keillor. It is not wrong to receive disability; it is wrong to lie about needing the disability checks if you are not disable. If you were trying to convey that idea, you should have expressed yourself better. You once confessed that you were able to handle the writing load you accepted because you never edit. Perhaps you should reconsider lowering your commitments and start editing. I like your writing. I find you witty. But please read what you write. You might be shocked to see what you sometimes churn out. )

Current Mood: angry
Current Location: USA
Current Music: Garrison Keillor - Slow Days of Summer | Powered by Last.fm

Garrison Keillor's older brother, John Phillip Keillor, Jr., died after falling while ice skating. My condolences go out to him and his family on this loss.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: sad

greyrider and I were talking about pets and how they have an annoying habit of wanting to go in and out. While talking to her, I was reminded of this song that Garrison Keillor wrote so long ago about a cat constantly requesting to come and then go out. The song should be appreciated by all of us who are owned by animals. Here's the song for our enjoyment:

( A cute essay about perspectives we have on cold. )

( A bit of advice: Stay off the obituary page as long as possible. There's no telling what they'll write about you. )

Current Mood: giggly
Current Location: Work
Current Music: I Got Fingers—Arrogant Worms

While I was out visiting my mom, I was forwarded this message: "Garrison Keillor is no longer listed as 'married."'

Apparently, his Facebook profile listed him as no longer married. Somehow, this news disturbed me. Mr. Keillor has had a bad marital track and a long track of infidelities.

I was really was happy that he has been married to his third wife for over 13 years. His longest record was 11, with his first wife. He has an 11–year-old daughter. and I was hoping that she’d have her parents together longer than her 39 year-old half-brother did. (His parents divorced when he was 7.)

I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I am married 39 year this year. It was not always a bed of roses, but we survived many ups and downs. We survived those hurdles because we worked hard to keep our marriage together. Though we bicker, we love each other. We share history together. My hubby is the only one who sharea so many good and bad memories with me.

Last night, we were listening to songs that reminded us of our past. It was a wonderful feeling to hear these songs from the past and be able to look at him and say, “Do you know what this song reminds me of?” Then tell him what it was that I remembered, and he looking at me and say, “Yes, those were great times,” or “Yes, I remember that, too.” Who else can you have that with? Who else can still look at you and see you as still think of you to be as sexy as you were 39 years ago? Folks, that only comes with hard work.

I like to hear that celebrities have long marriages. It gives me hope that others are working hard at their marriage and are being an example to show others that splitting is sometimes not the way to go.

Moreover, the truth is that, if you have divorced once, chances are you will divorce again. And if you were thrice married and had had a long-lasting love affair (10 years) as Mr. Keillor had between wife #1 and wife #2, then chances are that your next marriage will not last very long. But it did last 13 years. So why the report of the demise of his marriage? I was really rooting for him this time.

Well, later on, I looked at the article that was forwarded to me and found out that Keillor made a mistake and accidentally removed his marital status from his Facebook. He is Still Married. I have faith that this marriage will last till death do them part. Let’s hope so.

Here's a quote from the article:

Twenty-four hours of un-wedded abyss came to an end at 4:34 p.m. Monday for Garrison Keillor.

A surprise notation on his Facebook page, "Garrison Keillor is no longer listed as married," was fun while it lasted. Monday morning I got a tip about this Facebook change for the millionaire author. Unreturned phone calls were made to the St. Paul home of Keillor and his wife, the very private violinist Jenny Lind Nilsson. And then late in the day Keillor's Facebook status changed again: "Garrison Keillor is now married."

At 5:31 p.m., Keillor posted an explanation, sly in its wit. "Sorry about the confusion. I was editing quickly. We are still married," Keillor wrote on the website.

Get it? "We Are Still Married." Add a colon and the words "Stories and Letters," and you have the name of one of his famous books.

My f-list knows that I really, really like and respect the brain who is called Garrison Keillor. The man is funny. He is a good writer. He is tremendous showman. I don't know how he does it really. He has a weekly 2-hour radio show (A Prairie Home Companion) that I believe is on for 39 weeks every year. There are two performances, a "rehearsal" show on Friday and the real McCoy on Saturday.) He takes off Sundays. (I guess he has to be with his family sometimes.) He performs solo shows 3 to 5 days of the week. While he does his performances, he also writes a weekly column, a novel, introductions to other people's book, reviews of other people's book, and the scripts for his radio show. During the summer, he has a 17-day show called the Rhubarb Tour. The Rhubarb Tour is really like his weekly radio show, except that it is not aired and is performed at state fairs. How does he do it? You can't but admire a person who can do that. And, if you are lucky enough to see him perform any of his shows, be his solo show, Rhubarb Tour, or weekly radio show, you discover that he stays after the performance to shake your hand, talk to you a bit, and, if you request, he will autograph anything (does not have to be his latest book) that you give him to sign. (Ask katje0711 , she witnessed his polite behavior with his fans last September 29, 2008, when she saw him with me in one of his solo performance at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.)

Where am I going with this? I am trying to tell you that I like him. I listen to all his shows, I read most everything he writes, and try to see him live, as well. Moreover, I like his essays. But right now, I wish he'd stop writing so many politically based essays. It's getting a bit boring. The man is a Liberal (so am I—he is not offending me with his views), was very upset with the past administration (I was also), and is now head over heels with the new administration (ditto for me). I feel, however, that it is now time for him to write about something else. I'd love to read his take on life and not politics, or at least, not as often as he is doing lately. Now, I get off my soapbox. I appreciate this man's wit, and I am sharing it with you. Here's a mildly politically based, but funny essay.

( It's time for Washington's ex-celebrities to diversify. I'm seeing Rush making action movies, and Ann Coulter single-handedly reviving female prowrestling. )

( I've read some beautiful eulogies for Mr. John Updike. This one that Garrison Keillor wrote is just superb. )

( Never mind the last eight painful years. We see the new, fresh faces in Washington and we expect them to do the right thing and serve the common good. )

( One simply wanted to be present. Freezing cold or not, a crowd of 2 million, whatever -- solemn warnings about tight security, long lines, traffic jams, cell phones not working. In the end, one wanted to be there on the Mall before the Capitol on Tuesday at noon amid the jubilant throng and see the man take the oath of office -- our first genuine Author-President. Read more... )

( What readers really want is dastardly deeds by dark, despicable men, or saucy wenches with pert breasts displayed like fresh fruit on a platter. )

( This is about self-esteem. )

( Minnesotans are a humorous people and we are attempting to elect a comedian to the U.S. Senate, which is delicate work, as you might guess. You shouldn’t sweep a comedian into office on a wave of public adulation any more than you should let him win the heroine in the first reel and fly off to Paris and suddenly start ordering meals in fluent French. You need him to move a piano up a long flight of stairs, and that’s what Al Franken is doing now. He is leading the race by 50 votes or so out of 2.9 million cast. And when he boosts the piano to the top, he’ll sit down and play Chopin. Read more... )

Source: Star Tribune

( When you don't understand the language, it's easier to find the dumb childlike wonder that's the essence of the season. )

Current Mood: excited
Current Location: At the computer
Current Music: Silent Night

( It would be easy to miss those seven simple words next to the flush button in the airliner bathroom. Pay attention, or ruin your life! )

( Christmas is all about pleasure, food, bright lights, high spirits, glittering trinkets, razzmatazz. It's pure Broadway. )

This is a really funny essay. It talks about the recent men's-room sex between two drunken football fans. What were they thinking? They weren't thinking and Keillor nicely makes fun of the situation.

( Midwesterners usually go south to misbehave, not to the handicapped stall in a Minneapolis men's room at halftime. )

Source: Salon.com

Current Mood: giggly
Current Location: Home
Current Music: I'm too sexy