Dear boss:

I know I haven’t had a very good last year or so — not much writing on the blog, out of town a lot so I couldn’t keep up with what was going on around here, and the like. But I would like a raise, and I think I’ve found a way for you to give me one.

The City Council voted yesterday to give city manager Mary Suhm a nearly 10 percent pay hike. In fact, the vote was nearly unanimous. So, despite the city’s financial woes over the past five years — which took place while Suhm was in charge — the council figured she should be rewarded for letting the streets go to pot holes, laying off hundreds of employees, and spending money that we didn’t have.

Given those standards, I deserve at least a five percent raise, don’t I?

Erica Felicella, the Oak Cliff artist known for her photography and leadership in our neighborhood’s artistic community, is taking on a 48-hour performance art piece, “Visible Shell,” this weekend.

Felicella will enter a plexiglass “shell”, on Clinton between West Davis and 7th Street, at 5 p.m. Friday, May 11. She will stay inside this shell, on display, until 5 p.m. Sunday.

From the media release: “While she will not react with anyone outside of the shell, viewers are encouraged to sit in chairs alongside … so they too also contemplate the social implications of expressing emotions.”

Live video of the performance will stream online.

My winning streak with cheap pinot noir from the Languedoc region of France continues. First, there was the Tortoise Creek, and now there is the Luc Pirlet ($10, purchased, available at Central Market). Who’d have thought this was possible, given the region’s problems with pinot noir?

Frankly, this was much, much better than I expected (being the curmudgeon I am). It has moderate black fruit, plus some pepper and earthiness. What’s missing is what I expected to find — that New World kind of fruitiness that makes cheap pinot taste like it could have been made anywhere in the world. But this is 100 percent pinot noir, so the flabby fruit that comes from adding syrah or grenache is missing.

It’s not quite as well done as the Tortoise Creek, but it’s still a stunningly well-made $10 bottle of pinot noir — let alone from a region where pinot has such a sorry history. This is a candidate for the $10 Hall of Fame, and yes, Mom, would appreciate it over the weekend. Drink this on its own, or with burgers, barbecue or meatloaf. Who knew pinot would turn into a midweek dinner kind of wine?

As further proof that nothing really new ever happens in life or politics, check out this vintage cartoon the DMN’s Robert Wilonsky stumbled across in the DMN archives. It shows a 1933 discussion of reasons to turn the Trinity levees into Dallas’ very own “Central Park”.

Now where have we heard that one before?

The East Dallas-based design shop, gallery and gift store We Are 1976 has leased a Bishop Arts District storefront.

The shop is taking the former Make & Made space at 313 N. Bishop. We Are 1976 will keep its shop on North Henderson at McMillan, and the new location will include a dedicated workroom for printmaking and creative collaboration. The owners expect to open the second shop in July or August.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will perform at free concert at Kidd Springs Park for the fourth consecutive year. The performance starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 30.

Neighbors are organizing a park clean-up day in advance of the concert. Meet at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 19 to lend a hand.

For the first time this year, the DSO also will perform a community concert at Paul Quinn College, 3837 Simpson Stuart Road. That performance is at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 23.

Fido Oak Cliff needs a giant wallet for its giant check. Dash for the Beads, the Mardi Gras weekend 5k, raised $7,500 for the nonprofit whose mission is to create a dog park in Oak Cliff.

Pictured from left to right are David Sassano, Michael Reagan and Catherine Dodge of Fido Oak Cliff, and Chad West.

As I try to describe the spectacular bursts of color and beauty at the “Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum” exhibit, I’m reminded of my diabetic son and how we allowed him to eat candy only on rare occasions. When he did pop a Skittle or Starburst into his little mouth, he would close his eyes in unadulterated bliss. That’s the childlike glee and wonder you’ll feel viewing each colorful glass masterpiece. You can see my photo slideshow here.

World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly was in Dallas today to give a sneak peek at the bold hues and complicated creations now on view at the Arboretum. The exhibit officially opens Saturday and runs through November 5th.

“I just try to make something nobody’s seen before,” Chihuly said. “I try to make it as fresh as I can and make it as beautiful as I can.”

I’m fascinated by how they’ll handle the first Texas hail storm (“it’s pretty strong,” Chihuly claimed), but the fragility of the glass is a big part of its exquisite wonder. Chihuly has done ten shows in gardens before (though he admits he’s never experienced our run-of-the-mill golf-ball-sized hail).

Chihuly took his glass-blowing team all over the world to learn a variety of techniques, and each creation is completely different from the other. The glass sculptures, which were shipped in five 50 foot trailers and took 12 days to install, are carefully cleaned using cloth diapers and Swiffers. The only negative: Chihuly’s glass is so jaw-droppingly dazzling you may find yourself strolling pass the stunning salvia, flawless ferns and perfect impatiens with nary a glance.

All the Arboretum, Park Board and donor-types responsible for bringing this coup to Dallas were on hand to welcome Chihuly and his wife. “Get out there twice,” encouraged Gillian Breidenbach with corporate sponsor Bank of America, “once during the day and once at night. You’ll get a completely different perspective.” The glasswork will be specially lit after dark.

The Arboretum is open from 9am to 5pm and will offer special garden hours from 6-10pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for the special Chihuly Nights illuminated viewing. Day entry is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $9 for children and $10 for parking. At night, non-member adults pay $20 and member adults pay $12 (there’s no parking fee at night), and a family membership costs $109. (If you enjoy the fun hillside concerts, the membership will pay for itself in no time.) For more details about pricing and memberships, visit their website here.

With tomato plants taking off, lots of folks are asking me about bamboo trellising for the plants.  This is what I do for mine, and it works fine. Below I’ve outlined some steps with illustrations of the finished product. Remember to pinch the suckers!

One tomato trellis: Create a tepee structure using three bamboo poles.

Place the poles in the ground, centered above the tomato plant and secure the top with twine.

Cut a piece of twine 1 foot longer than the length measuring from the top of the tepee to the ground.

Tie the twine at the top of the tepee and take it to the ground while loosely wrapping around the stem of the tomato plant.  Some twine will be left over.

As the plant grows, wrap it around the twine.

Multiple Tomato Trellis: Create a structure using seven bamboo poles.

Create two tepee structures, three poles each, on each end of your tomato plant row.

Place a bamboo pole on top of the two teepees, directly over the tomato plant row, and secure each end with twine.

Tie twine on the vertical bamboo, directly above each plant, one foot longer than the length of the vertical bamboo pole to the ground.

Loosely wrap the twine around the stem of the tomato plant.

As the plant grows, wrap it around the twine.

The Texas Theatre hosts a “Grease” singalong tonight, Thursday, May 3, at 7:15 p.m. “The Avengers” screens all weekend.

Tiny Spokes: The Oak Cliff Bike Experience is a group show focusing on all things bicycle at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. An opening reception is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 4. The show runs through June 1.

"A Working Relationship" by Nick McCoy

Oak Cliff Cinco de Mayo, presented by the Oak Cliff Coalition for the Arts, kicks off at 10 a.m. in the 600 block of W. Jefferson. The parade on Jefferson starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 1000 W. Page.

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, includes the Oak Cliff garden of Matthew Nichols on Sunset. Tickets to see all five homes on the Dallas tour cost $25, but you can also pay $5 cash to see any one garden.

Photo courtesy of gardenconservancy.org

The Etsy Dallas Spring Bash is from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at South Side on Lamar. Lots of Oak Cliff vendors will be there, plus this yarn bombed bike from K Witta will be available for photo ops.

Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

The Kessler Theater has a Latino lineup in honor of Cinco de Mayo: Beto y Los Fairlanes performs Friday, and Loco Gringos and the Hickoids perform Saturday.