Wow, it’s been another week where every free moment has been gobbled up by wolves. I’ve been saving loads of tidbits for blogging purposes but haven’t had time to spit them back out at the interwebs in an orderly fashion. So now I will vomit them forth.
Many good things:
- Interesting stuff - Sword Dance and Shadowgraph
- I haven’t got cable TV but if I did, I’d want to be watching The Smithsonian’s “Women in Science” series.
- Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza is coming to my side of the river. Opening downtown St. Paul, in the Rossmor Building, on March 7th.
- Came across this by accident, when searching for something completely different, but was happy to have found it. I’d read about pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge before, of course, but this is a neat piece about him: The Man Who Made Pictures Move
- I would LOVE to go to each installment of MPR’s 2011 Season of Wits. But priority goes to Patton Oswalt’s night this month, and Neil Gaiman’s (which is conveniently the day before my birthday) and considering my finances I will likely make it to none.
- The film posters of Saul Bass – in pictures. Beautiful.
- File under spooky: “Age Maps - Two photographs of the same person from different periods (child and adult) are spliced together. In this fusion, a jump-of-time is established at the tear”
- I’m still crushing on Mimi Smartypants, after all these years.
- Goodnight Moon gets updated and becomes something better. Goodnight Dune (inspired by Five Sci-Fi Children’s Books)
- The Blind Man Who Taught Himself To See or Real Life Bat Man?
- Man about town Andy Sturdevant featured in Secrets of Awesome Beards.
Last night we hung our “Extreme Metal” art (right up and around a knitting group, and other Black Dog patrons) and tomorrow night is the big opening. And then maybe I can breathe. A little. But not really. Because I have a To Do list a mile long and all of those tasks NEED to happen SOON. Enrolling the boy in summer camp. Having my taxes done. Getting the car’s struts replaced. Setting up an engagement shoot for a couple before they depart for a destination wedding. Finishing a web site (in trade for plumbing services). Reading my Unix book. Doing something about the squirrels attempting to chew their way into our attic via the soffit.
But before all that? I will allow myself a bit of downtime with the boy. Maybe drop by the Walker’s Free First Saturday family day. Definitely going to see The Illusionist (from the makers of the Triplets of Belleville) with him soon, and take him out for pizza. And then I’m going to sit myself down to make a mix tape for the Yeti Records Mix Tape Exchange.
Monday, February 28, 2011
So odd to think…twelve years ago today I was having my first big adventure. I had flown from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Endured a six hour layover in an uncomfortable plastic chair at Schiphol, back when smoking was still allowed at the gate (gross), then I hopped my next flight to Madrid. Only to immediately take a train to the south of Spain and then? I boarded a ferry from Algeciras to Tangier, Morocco (while the soundtrack to the movie “Grease” was being played over the PA system). Where I took yet another train - with some delays along the way - to the capitol of Rabat, to end up on my friend’s doorstep just as her birthday was ending. And there I blurted out, upon arrival, “Happy Birthday! I’m pregnant!” Yep. Strange days. That was an exhausting but amazing trip. And I documented the entire thing with my very first and obscenely expensive digital camera, which wasn’t half as nice as what most cell phones are now equipped with. It was about $1,000 per megapixel back in the olden days.
Today’s five good things:
The original street photographer, Bill Cunningham, is still at it after decades of visually documenting New York City. A documentary has been made about him. I adore his quotes from the trailer like “the best fashion show is definitely on the street” and “fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” I’ll be putting on my armor tomorrow morning, for sure. A photographer from the Minnesota Daily will be snapping my photo for an article about Friday’s opening night, which is great, but I really do prefer being on the other side of the camera.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
I’m a decisive individual. But lately I’ve felt that my brain is like an attic full of squirrels. Too many unresolved problems, with no simple solutions in sight. So it’s just a skittering mess upstairs. But it’s about time to get out of sad panda mode and just deal with it. Even if there are no easy answers.
Five good things:
- I’m a huge fan of architectural salvage. Next time I head down to Chicago I plan to stop by Urban Remains, home to vintage American signs and movie palace artifacts.
- Beyond urban chickens! Fresh Goat Milk, Dead Wood and Dubious Neighbors - “I think we need to relax our cultural walls that relegate agriculture to the country, and that includes small livestock.” San Franciscan Heidi Kooy is raising two Nigerian dwarf goats in her backyard.
- “Early-1976, aged 18 and still in high school, aspiring artist Tim Burton sent both a letter and copy of his illustrated children’s book - The Giant Zlig - to Walt Disney Productions in the hope that they would publish it. Weeks later, he received a very polite rejection letter from an editor named T. Jeanette Kroger in which she outlined her impressions of his submitted work and offered predominantly positive feedback.” Both letters can be seen here.
- “John Waters cracks up Craig Ferguson with novel Oscar-show suggestions” - oh how I love Mr. Waters.
- It is often said about my son that he is “higher functioning” but he has still been branded with the label of autism, and it certainly colors how people perceive him. I haven’t seen the documentary Wretches & Jabberers yet, but watching the trailer got me weepy. Two men with autism traveled the globe to change attitudes about disability and intelligence and spread the message that they are “more like you than not.”
The week ahead will be another busy one, culminating in the opening reception for Guttural Visions. Which, by some miracle, I am actually prepared for. See you there?
Monday, February 21, 2011
The blissful portion of our snow day passed by far too quickly and segued into the lung burning-ly painful snow removal period. The boy and I managed to clear the sidewalks. But then. The giant plows lumbered through, earlier than anticipated, and created an impassible Mount Everest of solid snow and ice at the end of the driveway. Now feeling utter despair that we won’t be getting the car out again until sometime in the Spring. At least the weekend was mostly successful. Moderate periods of social activity Friday night followed by conspicuous consumerism on Saturday and Sunday. Bought the growing boy some new clothes that ought to actually fit, along with a much-needed belt. Finally buckled down and ordered all of my prints for the Guttural Visions show. Remembered I was out of business cards so I rush ordered another batch through MOO cards, along with some metal show postcards. Only to realize, after the fact, that another photographer friend had recommended GotPrint as their business cards are just a fraction of the cost. Bah. Oh well. At least I have been pleased by the quality of MOO’s products and customer service in the past.
Five nostalgic items of note:
- A comprehensive list of dead indie record stores in the Midwest led me down memory lane. Thankfully we still have a few good stores in the Twin Cities selling vinyl, like Hymie’s and Yeti Records.
- The wallet as time capsule in this tale of a lost wallet found and returned to its original owner after 40 years.
- “I love old photos. I admit being a nosey photographer. As soon as I step into someone else’s house, I start sniffing for them. Most of us are fascinated by their retro look but to me, it’s imagining how people would feel and look like if they were to reenact them today… A few months ago, I decided to actually do this. So, with my camera, I started inviting people to go back to their future.”
- In other interesting photo news, photo montages created from hundreds of tourist snapshots. Beautiful.
- Caught this piece on NPR’s Weekend Edition: The Life Of Edward Gorey, Told By An Old Friend. I would have been one of those annoying goth-y kids, fawning all over him, had I encountered him in real life. Oh wells.
Chicago friends! I just read that Earwax Cafe, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, is closing its doors as of February 28th. I am mightily displeased by this. But happy that I was able to go there this past October for one last hurrah. Other people/places/things I may or may not be missing. Tomorrow night is Salon Saloon’s Ghost Show at the Bryant Lake Bowl, but you should go. Really. Wednesday is a friend’s birthday gathering followed by the Call Me Lightning/(ALANS) show at the Turf Club. Thursday is the Is/Is tour kick off with Larry Wish & His Guys, The Chambermaids & Leisure Birds at The Hexagon. Friday is another good friend’s birthday. And now that we have fresh snow, sledding really ought to happen sometime in the near future. We shall see.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Food production issues never fail to infuriate me, it seems. What we put into our bodies is so crucial and basic. Why tamper with it, with adolescent science? How is it possible that genetically modified organisms are not labeled? I realize some of this is done in the name of scarcity, with the hope to better provide an abundance of foods for the world’s growing population (but also out of corporate greed). But as the article’s author says, “It’s unlikely that these products’ potential benefits could possibly outweigh their potential for harm.” This is why I’m such a supporter of locally grown organic foods. And would grow my own, if I didn’t have such a black thumb. But there are others out there doing it right. Including the Homegrown Minneapolis Urban Agriculture Program. There are even kitchen facilities in Minneapolis available for local food preparation processing and preservation. Neat.
Five good things for this fine Saturday:
- Above the Sun, a film by Coudal Partners
- I’ve been enjoying some quality new(er) music this week. PJ Harvey’s latest, Let England Shake. Land and Fixed by Blank Dogs. Deerhoof vs. Evil. Not yet sure how I feel about the new Radiohead. But I am very much looking forward to the upcoming release of Low’s C’Mon on April 12, 2011.
- I opted to attend the Kitty Cat Klub’s goth night, Perish, instead of the Deerhoof show on Thursday. I think I made the right decision, but my dear friend Adam’s photos, for City Pages, make me feel like I may have missed something special.
- I’m excited that J Mascis will be playing a show in Minneapolis on April 2nd, The Budos Band on April 18th, and The Marked Men on some to be determined date in the nearish future. A band I was underwhelmed by the one time I saw them live, Women, made an enjoyable video - “The indie rockers bust out of the shadows in a creepy warehouse and play three tracks in this exclusive performance.”
- There are lots of jokes going around about that IBM computer, Watson, competing on Jeopardy. This is a favorite.
Recently I’ve been talking about international travel with others, even more so than usual. One’s mind turns to wanderlust during a long Minnesotan winter. That reminded me that my passport had expired and my son’s passport was about to (which it did this past Wednesday). I located both passports this morning and intend to renew them in the near-ish future. File this notion under: just in case. Or you never know. Or in the unlikely event of. Right now I need to spend some money on the basics. Including some new clothing for the ever-growing boy. Possibly throwing some more Threadless tees into the mix.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Oh fickle weather systems. The last two Tuesdays I had to drop my car off at the mechanic, then trudge over a mile to work through windchill advisories. I’m quite glad not to have had to do so this morning, but now the weather is practically balmy and would have made for a much more pleasant walk. If I did have the money I totally would have had my struts replaced today. If I wait much longer I may need to start wearing a sports bra while driving. Ouch.
The boy also noticed the change in the weather. He has some Spring fever going on and didn’t want to wear his hat or coat or anything this morning (but I insisted). And now that the melting has begun my front yard is a giant mud pit, from the sewer main repair, and ready for mud wrestling. Some matches could maybe help me make some money to put toward landscaping the mess. Except that there’s likely a fair amount of raw sewage mixed in with the mud. So ick.
Hooray for making it through yet another Valentine’s Day. I managed to avoid any sort of romantic entanglements. The only thing I do regret is giving in and taking the kid to see the truly awful Gnomeo & Juliet. Such a fine cast of voice actors. Such a dreadful little movie. Wow.
Five actual good things:
- Apparently the city in which I reside has been declared a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Neat.
- In the last couple of days I’ve stumbled upon two artists I wasn’t previously aware of. The beautiful artwork of Ellie Curtis and also of Jesper Waldersten. Where the lovely things are, indeed.
- This is so very Spy vs. Spy. Top secret images from the STASI archives.
- A Painted Menagerie at The Outsider Art Fair
- Buy a tube station! “A disused tube station is up for sale in London for the bargain price of £180,000 ($290,000). Formerly Shoreditch Underground Station, the 1,600 sq. ft. single-level property would make an unusual home for someone willing to put in some elbow grease—and willing to tolerate living immediately next to train tracks. Rooms include a ticketing office, lobby, plant area, and a toilet.”
Minnesotans can get a bit loopy mid-winter. Especially when we’re taunted by these thaws after cold snaps. During the recent wind chill advisory the boy declared we needed a vacation. To Hawaii. I told him we couldn’t afford it. His response? “Can’t you just get a Groupon for that?” Umm, no. But just now I was out running an errand and felt like I was in Hawaii. So warm out I had the car’s moonroof open and windows down. But it’ll never last. We’ll be sledding again before long. In the meantime, I’m going to think about the announcement from the Walker today: Summer Music & Movies Returns this August
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Started drafting this on Friday but have been in go-go-go mode ever since. Up far too early this Sunday morning for no apparent reason. But here are five interesting things:
Speaking of dillweeds, Groupon finally put out an actual apology for their ridiculous ads and are pulling them. Now I won’t feel so badly about using my ChinDian groupon for dinner with the kiddo sometime soon. But we’ve been too busy to just yet. Possibly tomorrow. Yesterday was a blur. Made us pancakes before dropping the boy off with bio-dad for some hanging out time. Had a wonderful photo shoot with a most compelling model at Minnehaha Falls. Followed by a lovely brunch at Cake Eater Bakery. And helping a friend pack for an impending move. Then catching another friend’s in-store performance at Yeti Records. Today is more of the busy busy. Some day soon I will just sit still. Maybe.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
In platonic relationships I don’t put up with much. My tolerance is too low. The slightest dealbreaker rears its head and I retreat, putting up barriers and readying myself for more alone time. After single parenting and solo homeownership and my career and satisfying my photographic impulses I don’t have a lot of room in my life for much else. But in the land of coupledom? I have a much more difficult time walking away from what doesn’t work. If some pieces of the whole in a romantic relationship are amazing enough I will endure SO much turbulence and put up such a fight to try to save those happy bits. But if we are the sum of our parts it just doesn’t add up. I need to learn to concede defeat and call it a day. It seems highly unlikely that I’ll ever find a suitable suitor to settle down with. Maybe it’s time to stop trying. Life is too short.
Five other wistful or bittersweet things:
Tonight I’m forcing myself to go out in an attempt to reinforce and nurture some platonic relationships. At the opening of “Anthology” Images and Words from the Twin Cities Music Scene at the XY&Z Gallery. I anticipate having a lovely time.
Initially my son was reeeeeally resistant to this online learning program they’ve started using at school. I’m not sure why. Change? Change can be hard. Especially for him. And he was opposed to the pacing. But we worked on it together over the weekend and he seems all right with it now. He scored 100% on a follow-up quiz which helped boost his confidence. But he’s ALL SYSTEMS GO when it comes to his social skills studies. Because they’re using “Superflex®: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum” at school. He’s been re-creating the characters at home, in multiple mediums (the sculpey clay is my favorite, but those sad little creations have a tendency to fall apart). I just hope he’s internalizing the messages - about personal space and stubborn-ness and all.
Five good things for a Monday:
Tomorrow I take the car back for its second hot Tuesday date with the mechanic. I highly doubt my recent paycheck will be enough to cover *everything* that needs fixing. Which is why I’m having him tackle only the most urgent problems first. It’s all about triage. But I’m not the only one with a cantankerous car. A co-worker who lives in my neighborhood uses the same mechanic, and needs to retrieve his automobile tomorrow morning. This will work out perfectly. I can pick him up in the morning and drive him there. And then he can drive us to our place of employment. I usually enjoy the walk but wasn’t relishing the idea of the trek during another wind chill advisory.
Well, I failed miserably at quiet weekend mode. I wound up going out Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. First the show at The Cedar. Then a happy hour at Clockwork. Followed by a little early evening lurking around Lowertown’s art openings (where I purchased a lovely Nikki Witt print). Yesterday I came into free tickets to the Bella Naughty and couldn’t *not* attend. Though I spent much of the event catching up with friends and taking in an eyeful of the elaborate costumes - and was in too much of an overstimulated daze to take many photos.
Five good things for this fine Sunday:
- In the spirit of go BIG or go home, Chicago’s recent snowstorms were brutal but the aftermath was beautiful. Still, so relieved it wasn’t *us* this time.
- Locally our winter has been one of the most intense in years, and St. Paul’s Winter Carnival thrives on it. Yesterday was the big Torchlight Parade - which I skipped, again - so when the fireworks started shooting off it startled me. You’d think I’d have it figured out after nearly 12 years in this house. Anyhow, I just watched this video of the bouncing team tryouts at the Landmark Center - and I’m wishing I’d have thought to try out for the bouncing girl job when I was younger (and lighter).
- My new 5-minute crush is on artist Michael Myers. I remember seeing his “Lost” series illustrations before, but maaaaaan, his Vintage Superhero Posters are straight up AMAZING.
- Absolutely loving the renovation of this mid-century modern home in Toronto.
- The lad and I also walked down to our local library yesterday for the first time in ages. Because I finally got around to paying off our fines. While there he picked up a Calvin & Hobbes book (awesome) and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD (not so awesome) while I grabbed the eye-catching “You Suck, A Love Story” by Christopher Moore. Yep, you guessed it. There be vampires.
So I didn’t have the magical Sunday morning I wanted. I had a stressful one, with my MacBook Pro behaving oddly and dying on me. I didn’t have time to troubleshoot initially, as we had a summer camp reunion/orientation thing to attend followed by a grocery store run. But when we got home? I was calmer and more composed. And more caffeinated. I knew the battery wasn’t charging, and the light on the power adapter kept winking out. Cleaning out the spot where the magnetic power adapter piece plugs in seems to have done the trick. CRISIS AVERTED. And I’m backing up my data again, just for the heck of it. And soon I’m heading back to work. But for play. I have very little interest in actually watching the Superbowl, but some of my favorite people have decided to assemble for a potluck style foods/hanging out sort of thing, with the game on, and that is a notion I can get behind.
