Happy Holidays from the Johnny Northside Blog!

Guest post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

A few commenters have asked if this blog will let up on the Koenigs as some sort of Christmas truce, and more readers have objected to that idea. I say that as long as we're still feeling the effects of the Koenigs housing ventures, be it fraud or just bad business, we don't let up.

But that doesn't mean NoMi friends can't have a little fun. Pictured above is John's Christmas present, made by Ken Farkash, and given by Connie Nompelis and myself. It's a piece titled...

"Frog Man." As soon as Connie and I saw this at the 42nd Avenue Station display, we knew it belonged to John. In talking to Ken, we were told it was actually INSPIRED by him, and so we picked it up for him right away.

When we presented this to John, he picked up the reference right away to his frog-hauling stints as a truck driver. He caught further symbolism in his military background, as the "frog men" are often sent in to do dangerous work clearing out an area for the rest of the operation. I don't know if Ken intended for that to be part of the painting/sculpture; if not, it's a sign of quality art. I always enjoy works that stick with the viewer perhaps differently than even the creator of the art intended - like French Impressionist pieces or Catherine Zeta-Jones' laser scenes in "Entrapment."

On a personal note, I'm always torn about how to address the various holidays around this time of year. "Happy Holidays" seems so bland, but "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," or whatever you say about Solstice seems somewhat exclusive. But I think there's a holiday that really encompasses what the JNS blog is all about: Festivus.

Consider this: We've got a Festivus pole, the airing of grievances, a Festivus meal, and feats of strength:


And look! When I click "Publish post," it actually publishes the post! It's a Festivus miracle!

Happy Festivus from the rest of us at JNS!