I’m going to the beach for a couple weeks with the family, but you should know that in September I’m touring in the UK with Paul and Storm. I KNOW! I’m excited to finally be coming back. We’re also trying out Stockholm for the first time, so please tell your Swedish friends. Also I sing Billy Joel in NYC in August. Also there is PAX.

Here’s what’s on the docket:

New York, NY – August 18
Glass Houses: Classic Album Night with the Punk Rock Heavy Metal Karaoke Band
Fontantas, 10 PM
Tickets at the door: $5

Seattle, WA – August 31-September2
PAX
All weekend long, Washington State Convention Center
Info: www.paxsite.com

Stockholm, Sweden – September 17
Acoustic, with Paul and Storm
Södra Teatern, 7:30 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/O8LL4i

London, UK – September 20
Acoustic, with Paul and Storm
Union Chapel, 7 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/NyjO77

Birmingham, UK – September 21
Acoustic, with Paul and Storm
MAC Theater, 7:30 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/MF1juq

Bristol, UK – September 22
Acoustic, with Paul and Storm
Colston Hall, 8 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/Q2467t

Manchester, UK – September 23
Acoustic, with Paul and Storm
Manchester Academy 2, 7 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/OObUEQ

Not as if it’s been crazy busy around here, but expect less talky talk from me until August (can you do NEGATIVE posts per week?). Hopefully I will not be eaten by a shark. We’ll see I guess…

Yesterday I picked up a package that was waiting for me at my post office box. It did not have an address label on it, and it came from JFK via freight. I was intrigued.

Inside the cardboard box was a nailed-shut wooden crate with this on the top:

and this on the side:

Erp.

I waited till the end of the day so my kids could watch me open it, because what kid would not want to open a mysterious package that came from a cemetery? Inside was a layer of moss with a tiny shovel. Beneath the moss was green dirt, and buried in the green dirt was a coffin, along with a headstone and some chains. Like you do:

I confess I was just a TINY bit concerned I was going to find a human hand in there or something. But it was not a human hand. It was this guy:

The scroll explains that he is Eben Hardwick, undead person and movie extra. He’s a silicone zombie with posable limbs from the movie Paranorman, and the kind people at Laika (who also made Coraline) sent him to me. Because, you know, zombies.

I have never received something something so fantastic in the mail in all my life. And I know a little something about special boxes that contain special things (what’s up level 4!), so I can tell you that this particular special box is just plain amazing. I am extremely flattered that they would think to send me such a thing.

Which is why I have no qualms at all about saying that you should all go see Paranorman when it comes out in August, because I’m going to, and not only because I want to see if I can spot my guy. As you will know if you have seen Coraline, these people do great work. Plus they sent me a silicone zombie in a coffin. You should also check out weirdwins.com, where there is a lot of cool behind the scenes stuff from the people who worked on the film.

Eben says hi: