Mr. D. and I took a tour of the new studios at Golden Belt last night. Some of the work was excellent, but overall, it was not the highest caliber of art I’ve ever seen. But one of the things I like about Durham is that it’s not an art-snobby place. If you are working at your creative pursuits, people here are pretty supportive and enthusiastic rather than judgmental and critical and dismissive. So my hat’s off to all the artists here who are pursuing their dreams and making the effort to Make Stuff. They aren’t doing so to please my particular aesthetic but to explore their own creativity and develop their own skills. And that’s the way it should be.

We toddled off from Golden Belt to Merge Records, in Flywheel’s former digs, to see the Robert Pollard exhibit, which Roger had given me the heads-up about. We got there just before 9pm, the official end time for Culture Crawl/Third Friday, so it was mostly a private party at that point. Barry actually didn’t know anybody in the room—a rare occurrence. He was also the only person wearing orange tie-dye in a sea of mid-90s Dark Neutrals. I had described the show eloquently to him as “some comic books guy” and afterwards he said that if he’d KNOWN it was Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices fame he would have gotten there earlier.

From there we meandered over to Bull McCabe’s, sat outdoors where I was actually a tad chilly on an August night! The chicken pot pie—a preview of their fall menu—was excellent, as was the Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale that Barry got (hoppy!). Barry and the proprietor are in an English Premier League fantasy league, which kicks off today. As I write this, Blackburn is up on Everton by one point, and one of Barry’s players did…something. I have an incomplete attention span when it comes to all things sports. On the other hand, Barry wondered about the Pukka Pies ad on the walls of the stadium, prompting a google search to the site cited. He had conjectured that they were an Indian treat, but in fact they are a manufacturer of traditional UK fare like sausage rolls and pasties. I think Bull McCabe’s should carry sausage rolls and pasties. Much more authentic UK fare than quesadillas and buffalo wings. Plus, I don’t think I’ve had either since I left CA.

Today’s agenda includes the ever popular go into the studio and work on my never-ending website redesign, but for those who plan to have fun on a Saturday afternoon, there is a rumor that the Fabulous Fishscenta will be in attendance at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at the Carolina this weekend. Plus, it’s a gorgeous day. Go play.