Photos stolen from this guy’s Flickr set.

I don’t live in Fargo anymore but family and friends are still there – and just how are they doing? Well here’s a map of Fargo – looks like they’re having the biggest flood since ever. The dark blue area is the Red River when it reaches its expected 42 ft crest on Saturday. The light blue areas are areas that could flood if the levees break. Ewww. Looks like Mom is in trouble…

But wait. On closer inspection we see her house would a little island…except for that little square of blue touching the house. Lets take an even closer look…

Oh that would happen to be the exact area where this basement window is. Thank goodness there’s nothing in that room that could get wet if the water comes rushing in the window or if the sump-pumps fail! (That’s sarcasm people.)

So to recap, everything blue could get wet if the water reaches 42 ft AND levees fail. But the best part…the most recent forecasts are predicting 43 ft. I’d show you what that looks like but the computer model only lets me go as high as 42 ft. I should also mention this is not a nice spring lets-take-the-canoe-out body of water. No, it’s like 10 degrees outside and the river is filled with sheets of ice. It’s like Fargo is the Titanic and its going down in the North Sea.

Also – I’m told the whole city is shut down, almost all businesses and banks are closed, and there’s only one bridge open connecting the city to the Minnesota, cell phone lines are jammed, and traffic is impossible. FUN! As luck would have it though, my brother had already booked a ticket to come out here for my gallery installation closing party next Friday so he’ll miss the clean-up effort – so sad.

Follow fargofloodstage on Twitter for hourly updates on, ya know, the flood. As of 9 minutes ago it was at 40.08 ft.

UPDATE: the crazy Westboro Baptist church ACTUALLY DID issue a press release declaring that GOD HATES NORTH DAKOTA. I was just dying to know their reason why being there isn’t a single gay bar in the state – but their claim is God hates Fargo because Fargo wouldn’t let them preach about hating gays when they came to town two years ago.

UPDATE March 29th: Looks like the river is going down now but some levees have failed due to erosion from the current. The river is 22 ft above flood level and will remain high for another week. No water in Mom’s house yet – no drama to report there.

From Ibrahim Dilek at Threadless

below from Clark Goolsby at http://www.povevolving.com

It’s from Christy McCaffrey and Sara Newey at the lovely Machine Project:

The Magic Forest
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, March 28, 2009 – Sunday, April 26, 2009
Opening Reception: March 28, 2009, 8pm
Machine Project
1200 N. Alvarado, Los Angeles CA

 Found at http://picdit.wordpress.com

I’ve long admired Pentagram Design and here’s a project they just did with designers volunteering to create murals for school libraries. Maybe I can volonteer. Pentagram appeals to me now the way Imagineering did twenty years ago.

I had them for my “PARTY MONSTER” gallery installation opening – just add vodka to a regular “blue” or “red” flavored snow cone – OR – make a martini and pour it over a snow cone topped with an olive! Watch Santino and I illustrate their deliciousness below  – see all the pics from the opening night photo-booth here.

Because I insist on the best for my guests – and I having a unified theme – I arranged sponsorship with Prairie Vodka, an organic kosher vodka made in a very small town in Minnesota not far from where my “PARTY MONSTER” photos were taken. How much do we love their design and promo-packaging? – not to mention it won the Gold Medal Spirit Award at the 2008 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirit Awards. (Image from Notcot.com)

From Saturday night. There will be a closing party too if you missed the opening – (probably April 3rd). There’s an interview with me in Hi Fructose about the show here. I’m exhausted. There will also be a closing party Friday April 3 8-11.

The piece is here. This is an unrelated photo of me covering my mustache with a mustache with a mustache.