Wednesday, November 17, 2010
It’s a bit premature, but yes, I had already decided on my Halloween 2011 costume idea. Courtesy of my brilliant son of course. But now I’ve found out that Catherine Hardwicke (director of the first Twilight movie) may be ruining it for me. I don’t want folks to think *my* little red riding hood is inspired by her next teen movie. Oh well. At least Gary Oldman is in it.
Five good things:
- Unusual art. Fungus-imitating portraits? “Ryan Alexander created a generative processing software that simulates fungus. Instead of old, rotting vegetables, ‘Mycelium’ uses photos as its food to create wonderfully intricate structures.” And “Photocopy Romance†is a creative stop motion video made with a scanner.
- Inside Lascaux: rare, unpublished photos documenting the discovery of the now famous cave paintings
- WHEN SQUID FLY: New photographic evidence depicts a group of flying squid off the coast of Brazil. Notice the jets of water propelling the squid through the air.
- A friend’s new project, High Rotation, all about music news, reviews, interviews and concert info (mostly in Europe, I would imagine). A more local (to me) project is InspireMPLS - “built with the purpose of bringing creatives together locally in Minneapolis through sharing what inspires them about their city.”
- “If we all start using them, these words can be resurrected.” 20 Obsolete English Words that Should Make a Comeback.
This coming weekend we will go bowling and watch humans fly but I also plan to flesh out several ideas for an upcoming art show. Looking forward to some challenging yet fun photo shoots with friends and strangers alike.
Monday, November 15, 2010
We’ve had our first snowfall of the winter. I now need to budget extra time in the morning, to scrape icy frost off the car. And I’ve realized my will power has gone out the window as the cold weather has come in. For the last few weeks my body has been hell bent on adding that extra layer of winter fat, for survival. I returned to the Wii Fit for my first body test in 35 days (oops) and didn’t like the results. Guess I’ll be pushing myself to exercise a lot more and eat a little less, or at least more carefully. Speaking of food…Friday night I stopped by the Local D’Lish to redeem my coupon for a Simple, Good and Tasty Food Lovers card. On our way to Black Sheep Pizza. I’d been intending to try it for some time now and it didn’t disappoint. The boy is pretty easily pleased, as long as he can get spinach and white mushrooms on his pizza, but the crust was spectacular too.
Five good food related things:
The weekend was a busy one. Chuck E Cheese with the kid (for the arcade, not the food!), Thunderbolt Pagoda release show at the Turf Club, A Very Much More art opening at The Soap Factory, impromptu brunch at my house and an unexpected and free International Novelty Gamelan performance at the Landmark Center. Fun times but I’m looking forward to a fairly quiet week ahead…with an emphasis on art projects - solo style and collaborations.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Fridays have been especially hard on us this school year. After enjoying years of a Monday-Thursday schedule, having this extra day tacked on the end feels like some sort of cruel endurance test. And today is a bittersweet reminder, with school closed and the kid tagging along with me at work. But our first stop this morning was actually at the school, where Parker joined me for the parent/teacher conference meeting. The good news? After a bumpy start he seems to be settling into the new school quite well, making connections and winning over teachers and staff with his engaging personality. The art teacher, in particular, seems to be quite taken with him. We had a lovely chat and she showed me some of my son’s quirky self-portraits. They were notably different from those of his classmates.
Five (or so) more good things for this Friday:
- Beautiful Inflatable Bag Monsters and Zombigotchi! Just about the best thing ever.
- “Parisian graffiti artist, Princess Hijab, has been applying Muslim veils on half-naked fashion ads all around the Paris Metro, and we don’t even know officially if Hijab is a man or a woman.” Love it.
- In bed with Jennifer Jajeh! “Join Jen Jajeh and the Seeing Machine as we interview cultural luminaries, artists; up and coming thinkers, performers, and visionaries in THEIR beds. Our mission: to reveal the personality behind the figure- in their most comfortable and intimate space.” This looks promising, Zentai suits and all. Made by Mareesa Sertz of The Seeing Machine.
- Casteller: “In the city of Tarragona, Spain, castellers gather every two years to see who can build the highest, most intricate human castles. This uniquely Catalan tradition requires astonishing strength, finesse, and balance. Not to mention courage.” A little more background.
- I Should Watch That: An Interview with Simon Pegg.
I’ve mentioned this over the years…but one of my all-time favorite bands is Low. Zak Sally was in Low for many years but now performs solo (and quite well) when he’s not writing/drawing/self-publishing comics. I am a huge fan of his. And he is a fan of Tool, among other things. All around he’s a pretty fantastic guy. Unfortunately one of his friends, Andy Kotowicz from Sub-Pop, was killed in a car accident recently. Zak is selling an original flyer on ebay that he made during his time with Low. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Andy’s family. If you are a fan of Low or of Zak’s drawings please take a look.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Last night was pretty great. The boyfriend and I grabbed a late dinner at Sen Yai Sen Lek before heading to the 7th Street Entry. Because it was an 18+ show things actually got rolling fairly early on. Food Pyramid started at 9:30 (with things wrapping up by midnight). One of the members, who resembles a young Anthony Michael Hall, really ought to lead an aerobics class. Such vitality! Gay Beast, who I hadn’t seen since last Spring’s Heliotrope Fest, played after them. This set felt…different. Like pure YES style prog-rock meets Star Wars Cantina Band. And then there was the amazing guitar hero Marnie Stern, backed by drummer Vincent Rogers and bass player Nithin Kalvakota. She kept up her usual comedic banter despite the fact their tour manager, Courtney, had up and quit on them earlier in the day (at least she didn’t take off with the van and equipment, a la Gayngs). It was a mesmerizing performance. Intricate but lush with a huge wall of sound. So glad I was able to go, despite the sleep deficit problem presented by weeknight shows.
Five other good things:
- Love the idea of this new blog, Disunion. The first post is here.
The story of the Civil War will be told in this series as a weekly roundup and analysis, by Jamie Malanowski, of events making news during the corresponding week 150 years ago. Written as if in real time, this dispatch will, after this week, appear every Monday. Additional essays and observations by other contributors, along with maps, images, diaries and so forth, will be published several times a week.
- Oh how I adore Jay Smooth. Watch some of his no-nonsense videos and you too will get hooked.
- Nerd talk time - the internets were all abuzz yesterday because there is another new Tron trailer.
- Andrew Bird’s one-man orchestra of the imagination (his TED talk).
- Also in music news, Brian Eno’s Seven Sessions on a Milk Sea - seven performances in seven weeks. Neatorama.
Friday promises more in the way of music and other activities. There’s a free Retribution Gospel Choir show, with Zoo Animal opening, in Minneapolis. That’s the same night as the Minneapolis Presents Calendar Release Party, to “celebrate the accomplishments of the women in the Minneapolis Cycling Community and the release of the Minneapolis Presents 2011 calendar that highlights them.” And lastly, and the thing I’m most excited about, is Thunderbolt Pagoda’s release show at the Turf Club in St. Paul. But since we, apparently, live in the least stressful metro area we should be able to make it to all events in a timely manner, if we so choose.
This past weekend was spent gorging on escapism while recuperating. Happily I no longer feel like I have a small car, perhaps a Yugo, crushing my lungs. Though I still tire too easily. But that wasn’t much of an issue as I sprawled across various couches or my bed, devouring books 2 and 3 of The Hunger Games. And watching the pilot episode of The Walking Dead (yet another instance of British actors portraying American main characters as in True Blood, Flash Forward, and more). But, by far, the highlight of my weekend was watching the new Masterpiece Mystery series, Sherlock, featuring the adorable Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson and Benedict Cumbermatch as Holmes himself. I do hope they make more than just these three episodes. Also featuring Cumbermatch is - Four Lions, an upcoming film from actor/writer/director Chris Morris (The IT Crowd, Nathan Barley). First hipsters and geeks, now jihadists. How about some bonus Brits? How Michael Caine Speaks.
Five other good things:
While I’m less than enthused about venturing out for a weeknight show, especially after just having fallen back an hour, I am making the effort for the incomparable Marnie Stern tomorrow night. She’ll be headlining in the Entry, with locals Gay Beast and Food Pyramid. Hear some songs off her latest album via Stereogum: Transparency is the New Mystery and For Ash. SO GOOD.
Often I am amazed and appalled by the asshole-ish-ness of some people…though I shouldn’t be too surprised. My Dad raised me with but one motto “honey, people are morons.” Still. I’ve always been a strangely optimistic cynic and skeptic. And sometimes something good does come of it. Like with the utterly awesome George Takei coming right out and saying Clint McCance is a Douchebag in his “It Gets Better” message. Yessssss.
Friday’s five good things:
The lad has an early release day at school today, for reasons that escape me, but that means we will be reunited soon. And have some time to rest at home before returning to my workplace this evening…for our first game night in ages with co-workers and family. It should be fun.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
This week seems to be more about existing than living. Single parenting while sick makes any achievement seem like a minor miracle. Getting the kid clothed and fed and to school on time with his homework done, and the recycling and trash hauled to the curb, I pat myself on the back for those little victories. But actual survival is, hopefully, not at stake. Unlike in The Hunger Games. Which I just got drawn down into. Read the first book cover to cover last night. And now I can’t wait to get my hot little hands on the second and third books. I know what I’m doing this weekend! But I don’t want to get sucked into all the speculation about which actors will be cast as which characters in the upcoming movie adaptation. Though I’m curious how that will all play out.
Today’s five good things:
Oh, and hey, if you’re in the St. Paul area stop by Jerabek’s Coffeehouse sometime. My photos and the boyfriend’s art will be on display there throughout November and December. We hung our work there today. And now I am wiped out. Aside from resting/recuperating/reading this weekend I do plan to swing by the Northrup King Building for Art Attack 2010.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Yesterday I voted, but didn’t do any funny write-ins for Lizard People or Wendy or my friends (though I know more than one person who used my name as a write-in candidate for various judgeships - eep). Nor did I follow any election coverage, figuring it would all be settled in the morning and I could wake up to the results. Guess I was wrong! Looks like MN will be subject to another long, drawn-out recount. Yay.
Five good things for this day of post mid-term election madness:
The week has been full of minor disappointments. Found out the Robyn show is sold out. The elections have been discouraging. I finally went to the doctor to get my lungs checked out but results were inconclusive (not unlike the election). And I had to shell out $122 for the two inhalers I was prescribed. They seem to help a little, but I’m supposed to rinse my mouth out after using one (that doesn’t seem super safe). But the biggest downer? I hadn’t mentioned anything about the Bucklin family until now, hanging on to the hope that there would be a better outcome and the missing plane would be located, with all aboard alive. But yesterday’s news crushed that hope. My heart goes out to the family. And I can’t help think about how hard the upcoming holidays will hit them.
Typically Halloween ends and the chaos of National Novel Writing Month begins. But I’m not going to attempt it this year. Sure, I may play along a bit at home, when I can, continuing to work on my sadly abandoned werewolf cop novel. But no way am I spewing out 2000 words a day. I will be channeling more energy, however, into collaborative art projects for some upcoming shows. Should be a pleasantly busy winter…to help combat the winter blahs - which threaten to begin early, with this ongoing lung aching I’ve been having. Wheeee! Or wheeeeeeeeeeze.
Five good things for November 1st:
Halloween may well be good and over but I’ve only recently gotten sucked into a BBC series about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost who live together. And just this morning found out about a zombie movie called Otto or Up With Dead People. I will have to watch that after seeing the first episode of The Walking Dead, which is receiving favorable reviews so far. Also? Still going through a slew of Haunted Basement photos to upload. Soon!
Tomorrow we vote.
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and, possibly because of my enthusiasm, it is my son’s favorite too. So over the weekend we welcomed the great pumpkin into our home, yet again, and held our annual pumpkin carving party. It was a great success, despite some sweet potato pie fueled sugar highs and the inevitable crashes that followed.
Kate Beaton does Dracula:
Here we have Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a book written to tell ladies that if you’re not a submissive waif, society goes to hell and ungodly monsters are going to turn you into child killing horrors and someone is going to drive a bowie knife through your heart/cut off your head/etc. As you deserve!
Five more good things:
You may not get to see the Soap Factory’s Haunted Basement this year, as tickets have been sold out for a while now, but the band Halloween, Alaska filmed a new video down there. And I am probably taking more behind-the-scenes photos down in that danky creepy hellhole sometime this week. And there are more Halloween-related events to be enjoyed before next Sunday. And on Sunday? There will be trick or treating with the kiddo, while my boyfriend has graciously agreed to dole out the candy for us in our absence. And then we may all just turn into pumpkins.
