What's Suze Rotolo Up To?

Inspired by Steve Earle's recent comment about living in the West Village:

"No way," he said emphatically. "It’s still a neighborhood. And Suze Rotolo’s still here. And she looks so great!"

...we bring you: What's Suze Rotolo Up To?



Susan Elizabeth Rotolo achieved fame by having a famous boyfriend and she appeared on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (the cover being an homage to James Dean). It's said that the songs Ballad In Plain D, Boots of Spanish Leather, Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Tomorrow is a Long Time and Down the Highway were written about her. It's disputed that Positively 4th Street is about her as well; other potential targets include Dylan's Greenwich Village critics, Phil Ochs and (this blogger's nemesis) Tom Paxton. In any case, it's generally acknowledged that Rotolo's political views were the inspiration for Bob's foray into topical songwriting. Late 1964 the two parted ways and Ms. Rotolo rebuffed Dylan's attempt to contact her in the mid-70s. In 1972 she married Enzo Bartoccioli, a UN film editor.

As of 2004 she was said to be teaching at Parsons School of Design (though the school's faculty list does not show her as a staff memeber). As an artist, she specializes in artists' books. Her son with Bartoccioli currently works as a guitarist in New York City.

Suze Rotolo recently appeared in Lego form.

Just as Cool as it Sounds: Labyrinth

I've got a labyrinth by my house. David Bowie doesn't hang out there and it isn't filled with pans. It doesn't even have any walls. When I tell people about the labyrinth it's easy to assume one of the previous is true (and I really do wish David Bowie was in a field by my house). Since I was going to making some calls today (and I like to wander when I talk on the phone) I decided to check my local labyrinth out.

The modern sense of the word "labyrinth" differs from the mythological connotation. A labyrinth is understood to be a single (though circuitous) path while a maze is the multipathed branching affair, such as the one Daedalus explored. The specimen above is more specifically a Medieval labyrinth, similar to the one found at Chartres Cathedral.

This particular labyrinth was constructed in July 2006 by Carlos Smith and JoAnn Mast for HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties. It takes maybe ten minutes to travel what would be 25 feet if one dared step over the rocks. I didn't dare. I walked it twice with a Slurpee in one hand and my cell phone in the other. While I'm sure that meditation is impossible while talking on a cell phone, it was very soothing to follow the intricate path. People (like those in The Labyrinth Society) say that labyrinths encourage thought on the right side of the brain, as well as aiding personal and spiritual development. I'm inclined to seek out other labyrinths (as well as returning to this one in a more contemplative state).

There may be a labyrinth near you. Take a minor tour!
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Mystery Case

With my recent lottery winnings, I decided to splurge on some beer. To my delight, the local liquor store had a pair of mystery cases! Now I'm sure many liquor stores sell mystery cases, but I've never seen any outside of Colorado. A mystery case is a liquor store's way of getting rid of all the partial six packs that seem to build up over time. For the savvy consumer who doesn't mind taking chances, the mystery case is a great value.

There's always a danger of getting a bunch of skunky canned beer in a mystery case, but isn't that label worth the price of admission alone?



Opening the case reveals that beers are just crammed in. I don't think it's possible to get more beers in here. It should be mentioned that mystery cases have their own song (similar to the Mystery Gift song) sung roughly to the tune of 101 Dalmation's Cruela De Ville.



This particular case was one of the best I've had. Three cheap beers and the rest Stella Artrois, Harp, Sierra Nevada and the like. Mystery Cases are a great way to try new beers without having potentially five repulsive bottles hanging around. Good stuff!

I like those odds!

When I talk on the phone, I like to wander. Back and forth or to or fro: doesn't matter. When I was on the cell today I wandered over to a nearby car wash. Peeking in, I found a few scratched off scratch-off lottery tickets. About twelve hundred dollars worth. Thinking anyone foolish enough to buy a grand's worth of tickets wouldn't check them too throughly, I took 'em home.

Long, scratch-filled story short: I won sixty dollars!

June First: Insult Stickies is out!

Amazon has started selling my new book: Insult Stickies: 100 Funny Insults to Write & Leave Behind.

It is, as the title implies, stuffed with fill-in-the-blank insults printed on sticky notes. Think Mad Libs, only more freeform and funnier. Plus the book has a pencil and pencil sharpener built right in! I don't think Fyodor Dostoevsky ever had a book with a built in pencil sharpener (maaybe Post-it Notes from Underground did).

Is your karma so bad that insulting anyone would set you on the path to downwardly mobile reincarnation? That's ok too, as most of the insults could easily be turned into compliments for no additional price. Strange compliments, with an undercurrent of malice, but compliments nonetheless!

Similar books have sold for upwards of two thousand dollars [disclaimer: not actually true] but Insult Stickies is available at your local bookstore or via Amazon for the low, low, low, oh so low price of five bucks. That's less than a mixed drink at that fancy bar on the other side of town! You know, the snooty bar with the "shoes mandatory" dress code? You could nail 95 insults to their door and STILL have five left over!

Still not convinced? Here's the free sample:

Ask for it by name: Sticky Insults! Or by my name: Fyodor Dostoevsky. I mean Erik Johnson.

(I get a small kickback if you order through the above Amazon link. As of today they aren't shipping until next week, presumably because they're sticking notes on each other's backs.)