Some Wednesday random-ness, about exercising extreme control or losing it altogether (or anything in between), to go along with the wild weather we’re experiencing in the upper Midwest.
- We’ve long been enamored of Talking Carl around here, but someone just made Dueling Carls. Sounds like a noise band. Can’t wait to show this to my son.
- Sometimes you just need a serenading unicorn lip syncing along to, say, Culture Club.
- Interesting Miike Snow video featuring a bearded kid, a magical album cover, goats and booty jiggling. Oh, and here’s M.I.A. blitzing Letterman with doppelgangers of herself (a schtick she may have borrowed from Sébastien Tellier), and the assistance of Suicide’s Martin Rev.
- Hayao Miyazaki huh? In a recent interview he “compared iPad use to masturbation” - Is it because some Eastern philosophies consider masturbation to be a waste of Chi? Or is he simply suggesting we unplug from our screened gadgets to live our lives? But that would be an odd sentiment from a creator of animated escapism.
- More stunning rice paddy art, via pink tentacle, and some Disaster Dioramas!
- Lebanese diva Fairuz is profiled in NPR’s one of fifty great voices feature. I grew up listening to her on my grandmother’s An Evening in Beiruit LP.
Last night we saw Liars at First Avenue. The crowd didn’t seem to know what to make of the opening act but we just sat back and let ourselves be enveloped by John Wiese’s soundscapes. It was wonderful.
Beatnik celebrity poet, singer and Greenwich Village resident Tuli Kupferberg died at age 86. As did pioneering comic memoirist Harvey Pekar at the age of 70. The hell? Guess it is a good time to point out The Pekar Project:
Harvey Pekar’s been mining the mundane for magic for more than 30 years in his autobiographical American Splendor comics. Now he has teamed with SMITH and four remarkable artists — Tara Seibel, Joseph Remnant, Rick Parker, and Sean Pryor — to create his first ongoing webcomic series. New stories appear every other week, with interviews, creator spotlights, and behind-the-scenes goodies.
Other Pekar-related stories: A recent interview with Juxtapoz. A farewell from his hometown of Cleveland. And the National Post. Lastly, his David Letterman appearances were so earnest and sincere. He was completely impervious to pandering and not at all impressed by celebrity.
Also bursting my bubble today? The barefoot bandit has been apprehended in the Bahamas. The teenage anti-hero, Colton Harris-Moore, has become something of a folk hero…building up a cult following after pulling off a non-violent crime spree spanning the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. All, apparently, while shoe-less.
But really, the worst part of today was the call from the boy’s summer camp (and its aftermath). Informing me that my generally nice, sweet son has been acting out in surprisingly unsettling ways. Like spitting on another camper at lunch and shouting “I hate you” at camp counselors. WTF? This had better not be a taste of autism in the pre-teen & teen years to come because I don’t know if I can hack it. The kid is currently in a little heap in his room after an uncomfortable exchange. From which all I got was that he was “out of control” and is very sorry. And I am sitting alone, in silence, utterly baffled…and a little bit alarmed.
Want to know about my latest five minute crush? I get so excited thinking about him…and how smart he is. His name? Just Paul. The octopus oracle. I haven’t actually watched any of the World Cup but have been enjoying this psychic cephalopod’s predictions just the same. A different octopus altogether…Mr. Bob…spent a year in captivity at the Poulsbo Marine Science Center was recently released back into Puget Sound.
Many folks are watching the World Cup final today which is, I think, why picnic club was scheduled for later on. Unfortunately it looks like rain is on the way. But I haven’t felt much like leaving the house this weekend anyhow. Friday night I missed the boyfriend’s art opening in favor of communing with my couch and kicking off a solo X-Files marathon. Yesterday I managed to get some cleaning/organizing/cooking done and did venture out with my guys for some fun nerdery, including a visit to The Source. Note to self: refrain from selling books for bupkis to Half Price Books. It is far too painful. Fifteen measly dollars for a grocery bag full of pristine hardcovers? Ouch. But I am hard up for cash. Which is why I spent this morning listing items on ebay, for the first time in ages. And one item (my Roku SD box) already sold! Why don’t you see if anything catches your eye? And spread the word, particularly if you have friends with small-ish feet (ladies size 5.5 to 6).
There is much to look forward to in the week ahead. More summer camp fun for the kid, delivery of a half-bushel box from Vasa Gardens and a few shows/grown-up nights out with the boyfriend. And in the next several weeks a couple of weddings to photograph as well as some engagement shoots. Summer is zipping right along like it always does.
This morning I woke to find my migraine still in residence and had to suppress the urge to smash my alarm clock to bits with a sledgehammer, Gallagher-style. Before my coffee kicked in I was ambushed by a bill collector who smooth-talked me into parting with $200 I can’t really spare and two freelance gigs I really could have used have fallen through. Perfect time to cuss up a blue streak, right? Well, I’d like to think that I don’t swear all that much and that when I do, at least it’s appropriate to the situation. But I am the product of my upbringing. My maternal grandmother cursed like a sailor and my Dad curses like a cop. So it’s tempting to let loose with even more profanities after being scolded by my own kid for uttering “bad” words around him. Instead I’m going to work even harder at busting out alternate, lightweight curses. Like fiddle sticks, cheese & rice, feathers, piranhas, nipples, nutballs and crumb cake. It will confuse the hockey puck out of him!
This week has been rough, physically, and I’ve been trying not to wallow in the emotional muck induced by stress (mostly of the financial and hormonal varieties). Yesterday I completely sequestered myself but life is too busy to do that for long. Tonight I’ll be going out, if I can manage it. Tomorrow night the boyfriend has another art opening. This time a group show called Beauty in the Dark. Saturday day is the Twin Cities Zinefest and Saturday night the Soo Visual Art Center is re-opening. Curious to see how it looks after their remodeling. Sunday will hopefully see a return to Picnic Club, depending on the weather (which, naturally, is looking like rain).
And next week sees a trio of events beginning with the letter L:
- Liars in First Ave’s main room on Tuesday
- Lightning Bolt at the Triple Rock on Thursday
- Little Locavores on Sunday: Tasty Bites of Minnesota’s Culinary Past and Present at the MN History Center (with MC/VL - how odd).
Oh, but not in the L category - next week’s Cinema and Civics has Gay Witch Abortion playing before Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Such busy times in the summer! And I’m ready to make them busier. I realized too late that I likely should have gotten in on the Minnesota Bride “Best of Bride” party last night. But hey, anyone have engagement photos or a wedding that needs to be shot? I’ve posted some examples of my past wedding work here. My rates are reasonable and I’ve heard I’m fun to work with! Spread the word.
Feeling a little lousy on this hump day but how about five good things?
Hoping I feel better tomorrow night. The boy will be on his third sleepover at camp, which he has been enjoying immensely, so it will be another night off/out for me if I can swing it. If I can pull it off…it will mean catching Bastard Noise, Cock ESP, Noise Quean Ant and Scaphe at the Turf Club. Quite the line up.
It was cooler up North than in the cities, but not by much. Seems Embarrass shed its reputation as “the coldest city in the lower 48” for our benefit. Saturday was steamy-hot. Though strolling through fields of wildflowers helped offset the discomfort, and we had multiple lovely screen porches to enjoy. Our Iron Range experiences were extremely pleasant, overall. There was one drunken older gentleman at the Iron Ore bar on the 4th. While giving us an earful about moose genitalia he inadvertently (or intentionally?) flashed me a glimpse of his own junk, as he was wearing too-small swimming trunks and swinging his legs around. Freedom! Blearrrgggh. But the amazing thrift store in Tower more than made up for it. There I scored a pair of never-worn Clarks shoes for $4! And two kitschy Middle Eastern busts (photos to come). And a gorgeous Vladimir Tretchikoff painting/print of Miss Wong. Neat.
The lad and I also encountered a large, lovely doe in the woods whilst hiking. And we visited with the kept chickens and turkeys. And the bird feeder outside of the house came into contact with a not-so-bright bear in the night. And I don’t know if it was the North Woods air or what, but I encountered bizarre creatures…in my crazyass dreams. One dream featured guinea pigs the size of elephants who spoke in deep rumbly voices. They were commanding me to photograph them as they were bathed and groomed by their handler-slaves. At night. In large vats. In the Walker Art Center’s sculpture garden. It was far more creepy than cute…sort of Princess Mononoke style. The boy also lost what might have been his very last baby tooth. The tooth fairy found his loft area bunk bed accommodations to a bit tricky but arrangements were made. Ahem.
Leaving was hard, as it often is after a blissful weekend away. And only made more difficult by a grueling drive back. Heavy traffic plus torrential downpours = PAIN. But we made it home safe and sound. And look forward to many more return visits to the Iron Range. More photos here.
When I think of going up North my mind conjures idyllic little cabins and wee cottages and footdees, though I’ve never had firsthand experience of such abodes. Nor have I camped in the out of doors whilst in a tent. And none of that will change this holiday weekend. We will be staying in a friend’s father’s house, while he is out of town. What is new? I have never been to the almost mythical area of Embarrass, MN. Nor have the boyfriend, my son and I ever embarked on a trip all together-like before. Or taken care of five hens and eleven turkeys. I am looking forward to this weekend of new experiences and cooler temps. Because it sure is hot in the city today (and will be tonight).
Our little getaway only delays the inevitable, however. There is an agonizing experience in my immediate future. It is…the live action adaptation of The Last Airbender. My son and I greatly enjoyed the cartoon series but it would seem the only entertaining thing about the movie…is the way critics are universally tearing it apart.
Shyamalan’s true achievement in this film is that he takes a thrilling cult TV series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and he systematically leaches all the personality and soul out of it — in order to create something generic enough to serve as a universal spoof of every epic, ever.
Adding insult to injury, it would seem that the worst actor from the Twilight movies portrays one of the main characters in Airbender. Oy. On a related note…I’m not sure if I should be mortified or tickled that it was Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar who posed the question of the day to Elena Kagan in her supreme court confirmation hearings: Edward or Jacob?
And on that high note…I’m backing away from the internets for the weekend and leaving my laptop behind. Happy holiday all!
June flew right on by. But it was bursting at the seams with good times, and crazy weather. Just the combination my birth month should contain. Thirty-seven doesn’t feel all that different so far - not spectacular or awful. But I am the same age as my amazing boyfriend, who, it should be noted, went out of his way to make my birthday celebrations the best I’ve had in years. This involved some fine dining on the eve of my birthday, plus incredibly Sharyn-appropriate gifts (couldn’t wait a day to open them, oops). On my actual birthday I had my hair done (thanks again Groupon!) and had a few friends over. More folks braved the wild weather than I’d expected, considering much of Minneapolis had flooded. But I do live on higher ground at least. And we rounded things out with our random trip to Des Moines - that wouldn’t have had a more specific focus had Interpol actually played instead of canceling. But still, we managed to have a lovely time. More on that soon. And other things. For now? I am off to the dentist for my first cleaning in YEARS. Odd for someone who has such OCD issues with oral hygiene…
I’m not always the brightest bulb. This morning I got dressed in the dark…and threw on a shirt that I thought was a different shirt. The one I actually wound up wearing has a giant permanent grease stain smack dab in the middle on the front. Naturally I didn’t notice it until after I got to work. Also? In my excitement to get my son ready for summer camp this morning I sprayed him up and down with both sunblock and insect repellent…inside the house. Brilliant. Tomorrow morning I’ll wait until we’re no longer in an enclosed space. And maybe I’ll look at myself in the mirror with a light on. Lessons learned.
Five good things:
On this, the first day of summer, Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center had a snowball day:
In addition to naming their own price, every person who brings a snowball to the Science Center on June 21 will be able to launch his or her snowball into the Ohio River from aboard the USS Requin submarine (weather permitting).
That sounds like a pretty darned good start to summer. And my son has been saving a snowball in our freezer (but it’s looking pretty sorry at this point). Thankfully our solstice was decent enough. The kid enjoyed his first full day of summer camp. With the side effect (bonus?) of utterly wearing him out. I’m not sure how much energy he will have left over for other activities. Like weeknight movies and music in the park events. Maybe I can at least get him to crank something out for this Threadless kid art contest. I’d love to see something of his on a t-shirt. I suppose I could make that happen easily enough, contest or no, but I have my own summer haze/daze happening right now. Hopefully I’ll snap out of it soon and get motivated.
It was an emotional roller coaster of a weekend. Highs and lows all around. Situations that should be easy-peasy were oddly difficult while ones that had me anxiety-ridden and overthinking wound up being smooth like butter. Really really smooth butter. Life is funny like that.
Five good things:
- This makes me SO happy: A collection of vintage bromide cards showing various pachimon (imitation creatures based loosely on famous TV and movie monsters) at iconic locations around the world. Published by Yokopro in the 1970s.
- Also amazing? Tokyo Flashback - Vintage Design and Illustration from Japan.
- Love this: Stuff No One Told Me (But I Learned Anyway)
- We already adore Talking Carl (we have all the iPhone apps) but now he can be worn. It is the natural progression of things, I suppose.
- Well, this is one way to come up with some cash for Soo VAC gallery..the Soo Loo Fundraiser - see yourself on our bathroom wall.
Errands were also run. Toy Story 3 was seen. A summer camp open house was attended (first full day is tomorrow). And the boyfriend met my family and bonded with them over a fine meal, and my Dad’s underground comics. Not too shabby. But I am hoping for an all around better and more even-keeled week ahead. With many celebrations of the anniversary of my birth.
