I'm sitting in the sun with a beer and a four-month old puppy, reading scripts and writing letters from Canada.

Devoted Polyform readers abroad will be delighted to know that the Paulmonster 25th+1 Birthday gathering, at the Galaxy Karaoke Lounge back in Portland, was a suprisingly distinguished success. Throughout the night eminent and magnanimous friends and colleagues dropped by, and I took home a surprising mountain of loot. Highlights include:

• Jeremy gave me a print of the Othello portrait linked below.
• Peter dropped by on his way to the airport, just to say happy birthday.
  
• Sam gave me a 'Wonderful Dog,' which is a hollow gilt plastic statuette filled with orange gummy candy, and brimming with generous and warm-hearted symbolism.
  
• Patrick gave me over $70.00 worth of liquor (he picked up the tab) (and he brought most of the guests that evening) (because Patrick is a Bad-ass Rockstar who sings with the Portland Opera)
• Sarah brought me all her friends in town.
  
• David tried out his first attempt at Led Zeppelin's 'Black Dog'
• Jordan gave me her phone number.

After months and months of zealous karaoke action, I'd never had the courage to attempt James Brown until that night. My first attempt, "Get Up (Sex Machine)," was so memorable that the KJ and the management of the bar both personally invited me to perform it every Friday night, and they also said stuff about bands needing lead singers and upcoming karaoke competitions, but I was rather distracted by the cumulative effects of exertion, alcohol and Jordan by that point.

The puppy wants some attention now, and my cousin is firing up the barbecue, and so I better go and make sure he doesn't destroy the province again. More soon,

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