Yeah, we’re five
By Jon Anne Willow + Mehrdad J. Dalamie
From Mehrdad:
February 2007 marks the beginning of the sixth year of VITAL Source. As I look back, I cannot help but wonder if we would have survived doing it any differently. By that I mean that all the ambition in the world would not have meant anything without all the sacrifices we made; running two businesses, virtually hundreds of hours a week; sleep deprivation, zero financial resources and so much uncharted territory could and would push any normal person out of the rat race in which we found ourselves.
I’m not sure what other forces were behind us but a few are certain. The love and desire to be an alternate voice within Milwaukee’s established media brought us here in the first place. And more importantly, the desire by the public, you, to hear what we had to say has kept us going. I started VITAL, but the second year brought a fresh breath and perspective, an intelligence that transcended all that previous, and like rocket fuel propelled us forward: Jon Anne Willow, my partner in my madness, to whom everything is indebted. We are celebrating our fifth anniversary on February 24th and we’d like you to join us. It would not be possible without your support.
Thank you,
Mehrdad J Dalamie
Co-Publisher
Dear Readers,
Mehrdad is too nice. He’s been the water all along, holding up the boat so it doesn’t sink. All the wind in the world doesn’t matter if you’re dry-docked, and VITAL would be if not for him. He does all manner of unglamorous, sometimes seemingly unrelated work at all hours of the day and night to make sure our little ship of enterprise sails; he is the unsung force behind our continued existence. So next time you run into him behind the bar at Bremen Café, shoveling the sidewalk or delivering copies of the magazine, see him as a man who understands what it means to do whatever it takes to make dreams come true. He is that man, and I am grateful to know him.
So this issue is full of presents for you in the form of puzzles and games. Dwellephant’s maze opens the section and Brian Jacobson did one called Silent Sentinels which is all photos of local statues where you guess where they are and what they represent. Some of them are pretty hard, but all are great images. There’s also a REALLY hard Soduko and a bunch of other favorites. And when you’re all puzzled out, there’s still more birthday fun to come. Please join us the evening of Saturday, February 24 at Turner Hall for an old-fashioned carnival full of special VITAL twists. We’ll have classic carnival midway games where you can win prizes, unusually talented caricature artists (dwellephant, Kristopher Pollard and Renee Staeck), real live fortune tellers, an interactive performance by the Pastiche Dance Company, a karaoke lounge upstairs (complete with host and a full bar, but far enough off the main drag so everyone doesn’t have to hear you), plenty of libations, the deejay stylings of The Glamour and a live set from Holy Mary Motor Club. And that’s just what we have nailed down so far. Check our website regularly for updates as the event draws near, and listen to 91.7 WMSE the week before the party to win birthday present packages, including free admission and game tokens and prizes from party sponsor Time Warner Cable.
It’s the perfect party for a five-year old, don’t you think? Except for the libations part. We at VITAL don’t condone children drinking, even with their parents, before the age of at least eight, and then only if the kid seems really responsible. I’m kidding!
Peace,
Jon Anne
