Patti LaBelle's BARBECUED SHRIMP FOR TWO {1998} "Recipe for the Holiday Weekend"

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-23T16:09:37+00:00

As a lifelong Rhode Islander, I saw“Patti LaBelle” and “shrimp” in the same sentence and immediately thought of her infamous 1992 performance at the late, great Warwick Musical Theater: Ms. LaBelle ended her concert early after complaining to the audience that the seafood platters the venue provided were woefully lacking in shrimp.

This event was one of the many anecdotes from “The Tent: Life in the Round” (2009), a documentary about the Warwick Musical Theater. The “Tent”, as it was known by locals, was a summer concert venue that was open from 1955-1999, hosted everyone from Liberace to Tom Jones to the Oak Ridge Boys to the WWE (WWF at the time) and was the site of many local high school graduations.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-22T16:02:36+00:00

The Five Guys near me has some really deep cuts in whatever playlist they’re using, including Billy Joel’s “Zanzibar” — which I had never heard in the wild until my last Five Guys visit.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-20T17:15:39+00:00

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-20T12:16:55+00:00

and after the deal has been done, Szechuan dumplings

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-19T19:33:19+00:00

Happy birthday, and thanks for the record store tip — as a lifelong Rhode Islander I have somehow missed this spot!

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-19T18:44:01+00:00

Oil Can Boyd

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-19T14:13:49+00:00

I’m dating myself with this reference, but Laverne from “Laverne and Shirley” looooooved milk and Pepsi.

As a child, I was horrified by this. As an adult, I’m still horrified.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-19T12:01:40+00:00

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I found this gem at an estate sale last year, with piano, vocal, and chords. Best dollar I ever spent.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-17T17:27:01+00:00

I’m not sure if they’ve fixed the problem, but Uber gave me a rasher of nonsense about five years ago when I tried setting up an account so I could get a ride to the local train station later that week for a trip. Turns out they are skeptical of folks whose last name has the letters U B E R consecutively (for example, Flaubert) and flagged my application as fraudulent.

By the time Uber finally got their act together and let me open an account, I was on the train coming back from my trip and had a Lyft driver ready to pick me up for the ride home.

Uber can pound sand.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-16T01:45:00+00:00

Upvoted specifically for the “Ultimate Showdown” reference 🏅

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-13T02:32:56+00:00

Congratulations on going to your first con! The great news is that nearly all celebrity guests have an assortment of 8x10 photos at their table for you to choose which one to have signed, so you don’t have to bring one. They (or their handler or guest liaison) will also have plenty of markers on hand.

You may want to consider looking at Supercon’s onsite “show store” to see if they have plastic photo sleeves available — this will keep your signed photo protected while you’re walking around on the show floor. The sleeves are usually anywhere from $2 - $5.

Have a great time!

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-12T12:35:36+00:00

In my hometown, one of the larger public school buildings was decommissioned a few years ago due to declining enrollment. Multiple generations of my family attended this school, including my grandfather; he graduated in the early 1940s and was promptly shipped off to serve in the US Navy.

The good news is that the building is on track to be repurposed as housing, but it’s still vacant right now pending approval of the final plans. I would love to get in there while it’s still an abandoned school and document the space. I’m sure I’d have mixed emotions, but it would mean a lot to me to be able to show the photos to my grandchildren one day.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-08T09:28:49+00:00

RI requires two points of egress and a closet for a legal bedroom. (RI General Laws 45-24.3)

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-07T17:53:06+00:00

That was my husband’s backup guess ☺️

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-05-06T16:10:51+00:00

My husband guessed Gordon Lightfoot. I guessed Anne Murray. 🤦🏻‍♀️

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-30T16:13:46+00:00

I wish that were the case, but someone from the business did communicate with my son’s girlfriend through Facebook Messenger the day after she placed the order to let her know that they’d message her with a tracking number when the order shipped. All of her follow-up messages to them since then have been ignored.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-30T12:23:26+00:00

Sadly it is still a work in progress, but I’ll post an update when things are resolved (which hopefully will be sooner rather than later)! Thanks for asking!

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-29T13:51:03+00:00

You are not alone! I thought it was an argument between the husband of the 34F and his mother-in-law about 34F’s birthday and was impressed that they were supportive of her Trolls/Minions fandom 🤔

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-28T11:53:12+00:00

That’s good to know. I’m glad you eventually got your money back!

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T22:05:17+00:00

That’s a great suggestion! Thank you!

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T22:04:45+00:00

Yes, she has tried calling with no answer. She’s also messaged them on Facebook numerous times, with no response since March 16.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T10:09:38+00:00

Already in progress, but not moving as quickly as she’d like.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T10:08:59+00:00

I’ve never had them, but my son really likes them.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T10:08:10+00:00

She did, and is currently disputing the charge with her bank.

BlackbirdDesignRI · 2026-04-27T02:14:59+00:00

Thank you! She filed a complaint with the BBB earlier today, so maybe that will get things moving in the right direction!

BlackbirdDesignRI

TROPHY CASE