Too much of yesterday was spent in sad panda mode. A close friend left on a jet plane, leaving his life here behind. He’ll be coming back to visit when he can but for the next two years his home will be in the South. Not exactly an expatriate, unless the South attempts to secede from the Union again, but still, a stranger in a strange land. While I was sad to see him go I do wish him well. I allowed myself to mope for a while (and will likely do so now and again) but my moods are so mercurial. I still managed to have a lovely, quiet evening and an excellent day today. I paused on the way to work this morning - to snap photos of a few subjects that caught my eye. At Clockwork our first CSA delivery of the season arrived from Jackson Hollow Farm. And I read an interview with the always delightful Thao Nguyen. All little reminders I’ve got to keep doing what I can to make myself happy in the here and now and quit clinging to any hopes for the future.
Bonus: “A 600ft jellyfish pattern has appeared in a barley field in Kingstone Coombes, Oxfordshire, in what is one of the most intriguing crop circles ever seen in Britain.”
Plus: Also of unusual size? This orange man/monster made from construction barrels in Raleigh, NC. Oh, those creative saboteurs.
And: A co-worker has been designing logos for a client. While researching/inspiration-seeking he encountered the Invasion of the Neutered Sprites. Be sure to click through a few of them to get the full effect.
This last week been action packed and amped up on EMOTIONAL CONTENT OVERLOAD. And so it goes for many folks I know, as of late. But my coping skills can stretch only so far. Nearly ready to sign up for a stint in a sensory deprivation tank. Alas, I am claustrophobic. And I’ve got just a little bit of downtime to catch my breath anyhow. I’m busily prepping for this coming weekend, when I’ll be stationed in a booth at the Red Hot Art Festival, alongside two lovely friends. There I will be attempting to enjoy myself and the event (especially the art battles!) while steering my thoughts away from other concerns for a spell. I could do with some drifting.
Bonus: So much art in one town! I was thrilled to hear about Amy Rice’s frosted inspiration cupcake art show at Mitrebox (at Sheela’s Cupcake Saturday). Sadly it’s only happening while I’ll be setting up at Red Hot. Double D’oh!
Plus: The scooter-themed Los Vesperados opens the following weekend, on June 13th, at the Northrup King Building.
And: Also that weekend? The Sweet Hair Poster Show (a sneak peek here). Benefiting the Locks of Love charity.
Still struggling with much of the suckiness this year has brought me, but trying to keep calm and carry on. Thankfully distractions abound. Yesterday’s “Free Blowouts” - with the women of Clockwork - was an entertaining change of pace. And last night I attended the booze cruise portion (without falling overboard!) of a friend’s bachelorette party. This weekend also sees the release of Pixar’s Up, which the lad and I are excited for, but will have to hold off on until our social calendar lets up. I suspect we’ll see it more than once at the theater. First indoors, in 3-D, then again at one of the local drive-ins. Tonight I am excited for the kick off of Heliotrope 6. Particularly to see BruteHeart for the first time. What I’ve heard reminds me of The Raincoats and New Bloods, which is a damned fine thing in my book.
Other good things:
- I watched this video of two young ladies performing Bach on a giant piano several times. So fantastic (and better than the scene in Big, if you ask me).
- I’m sure last night’s How I Learned About Sex at Happy Ending was awesome. Alas, I could not make it to NYC but I did enjoy the accompanying sex ed video from 1973 about “running frantically about town to find a rubber before your girl loses interest in your boner.” That couple had their own happy ending.
- While I am stoked for season two of TrueBlood to start next month (and plan to re-watch season first) I am intrigued by a different sort of vampire. From Chan-wook Park, director of Oldboy, comes the tale of a Korean priest-turned-vamp called Thirst. Allegedly being released in the U.S. sometime soon.
- File this one under beautiful decay, 100 Abandoned Houses.
- I’ve been so busy I failed to photograph/submit anything to Heavy Table’s Spring Bounty contest, but the winning shots are quite lovely.
- “People may be able to taste words” - more on synaesthesia, which affects me to a degree (I’ve always associated letters and numbers with colors).
Sometime soon I plan to journey to “The Home of Grumpy Old Men” - Wabasha, MN, with my son. An old friend opened his own restaurant there last year (and promised to whip us up a vegan-friendly meal, as much as it may pain him to do so). And we will finally visit Lark Toys, to ride their crazy carousel and play through their mini golf course. I can’t run away from my problems forever, but sunny summertime road trips will certainly help mitigate them.
The whirlwind hasn’t let up. At all.
Friday: I split up my work day to take the lad on a field trip to Woodlake Nature Center, and later to a kid’s birthday party that felt like a field trip, as it was off a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. But it was worth the journey - there were giant inflatables in the backyard!
Saturday: Lots of errand-running, including a run-in with a school marching band inside of IKEA. Surreal. I also spent some time fighting with my electric lawn mower only to discover it’s a lost cause. It will cost nearly as much to repair as it was to purchase new. Boo. Saturday night I attended the “Fuck A Fire” benefit show, on behalf of my good friends who lost their apartment to a horrible fire a few months ago. It was good to see our friends and little music community coming together for the cause, especially on a night when there were a billion other shows happening.
Sunday: The lad and I went to the gym, retrieved a nearly new push reel mower from a dear co-worker friend, mowed some of the lawn, went to Super Target (and realized much later I left a bag of groceries behind, d’oh!) then hit up an engagement BBQ for/hosted by some friends, and went swimming after. It was amazing watching my son work the crowd and doing a better job than I do of mingling with people I don’t know very well. Of course he was prompting many folks with his scripted interactions. His two most popular scenarios - 1) taunting others with the piece of chocolate cake he had that he was not sharing. “You want this cake? You can’t have it! Now cry! No cake for you!” And 2) telling individuals they needed to be “punished” while leading them away to the “punishment area” behind the garage. Honestly don’t know where he got that from, but people seemed to be having good times back there and there wasn’t a single complaint.
Monday: Spent the morning ordering goods from MOO and Adorama for the upcoming Red Hot Art Festival, and cleaning the house. In the afternoon we hosted our own BBQ that was going to be a smaller gathering but snowballed, as these things do, until I feared my rickety old deck might collapse. But it held and more good times were had. Though maybe I wouldn’t have panicked so much if I’d had my towel. I realized after that fact that it was Towel Day 2009, in honor of Douglas Adams.
The head-spinning happenings continue this week with a bachelorette booze cruise Wednesday, opening night of the Heliotrope Festival Thursday, Wedding rehearsal/dinner on Friday, the big Wedding on Saturday (my boy is the ring bearer!) and the post-wedding show on Sunday. Phew!
Bonus: Eric tied for 4th place in some category of the World Beard and Mustache Championship, and documented the other participants. My son is still fixated with facial hair (though I doubt he’ll be able to grow his own beard by Halloween, as he’d hoped) and loved the pix.
Plus: “The island Socotra lies in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, belongs to Yemen, and could be one of the strangest places on the planet.” I want to go to there!
And: Bad news for Buffy fans! A new feature film is being planned, without Joss Whedon’s involvement. So what’s the point? I do not approve.
Perpetually occupied and pre-occupied but muddling my way through. Trying to focus on the here and now but planning for the future too, as always. Turns out the Monolith Fest is being held the same weekend as ATP in NY. While I am curious about Red Rocks (in general) I find All Tomorrow’s Parties to be much more compelling, overall. Especially since another friend may be interested in joining us. And she reminded me of Kate Pierson’s Lazy Meadow resort in Mount Tremper. I would LOVE to stay in one of her love shacks! Sadly it’s about a 45 minute drive from the ATP venue site and we’ll want something nearby (preferably stumbling distance, though I am queen of the sober cab).
Speaking of musical adventures, my friend Martha just saw Fever Ray play in the prison of an old fortress, basically a stone cavern in the side of a mountain, in Austria.
It was the opening night of the annual Electronic Beats festival in Graz and the opening concert was held in the old prison of an old fortress called Schlossberg that even Napoleon failed to capture. The prison still has the original walls intact, and the cavernous nature of the structure made for some incredible sound.
Neat. Photos and video posted to her flickr account. I may need to run down to Chicago to see Fever Ray in October (and I think Amanda should meet me there). Until then I plan to make a few return jaunts to Pizza Farm in Stockholm, WI. My inaugural visit for the season was this past Tuesday on a record-breakingly hot May day. But it was surprisingly pleasant. And now on to the next of the 10,001 things on my To Do list.
I can always count on my son to make me smile. And to make me crazy, at times, but mostly to make me smile. When we’re in the car for long journeys he tends to zone out, lost to his own reveries. But when we’re making short trips with frequent stops he drops bits of wisdom that are simply amazing. Last night he was in rare form. First asking if something was available via Netflix Instant. As I was driving at the time, and not directly connected to the interwebs, I said we’d have to check later. He thought about it before suggesting “we should write that inside our brains.” Yes! Yes, we should. Not long after that he was gazing at a street full of unused parking meters and lamented that “the parking meters are flashing because they are sad.” Pause. “They are sad because they want money.” Don’t we all, honey.
Some random good things:
Today’s weather is perfect for a mini road trip. And I really do need to get away, if only for a little while.
Some lessons have to be re-learned. Over and over again. I’m too trusting. Too often I take people and situations at face value. And I tend to think out loud without filtering what I’m saying enough. This isn’t the best combo and I find myself getting burned by it again. Having to figure out who is sincere and who should be kept at arm’s length is exhausting. The highs of the last week or so have been tempered by some pretty shitty lows. But focusing on the positive, in photos:
- The Clockwork Shop Warming Party was a big hit. Thanks to all who dropped by!
- Saturday’s Skoal Kodiak set at Art-A-Whirl was AMAZING.
- Also incredible that night, King Khan & The Shrines at the Triple Rock. The sold out show was so very crowded but so totally worth it.
- Sunday was more Art-A-Whirling, this time with my son (who’d enjoyed a sleepover with friends the night before). We just avoided the pig roast at Gastro Non Grata and focused on socializing.
Was hoping for some downtime this week, because the next few weeks will be ridiculously busy, but no dice. Sharyn is NO SLOW ALL GO for the foreseeable future.
Bonus: Do you think the benefits of privacy outweigh the creepy factor?
Plus: RetroRama returns to the Minnesota History Center May 21st.
And: The World Beard & Moustache Championships 2009 are right around the corner - May 23rd in Anchorage, Alaska. I’ll be rooting for Eric (aka dogseat) as always.
The good times keep rolling. Mother’s Day with my son and later with Mogwai was most enjoyable. Now I’m looking ahead to June and the month long celebration of my birth. The day itself I will be at the Shellac show at the Varsity Theater. But the next day will find me flying out to L.A. - for the first time in over a decade - to hang out with old friends all weekend long. This will be just the thing.
Now for a random roundup of five good things:
- Geeks of Doom tackles some Explanations For 10 Gripes People Have About The New ‘Star Trek’ Film (which I enjoyed Friday night). HUGE spoilers! Avert your eyes if you haven’t seen it! And look at this instead - Star Trek, Kate Beaton style.
- I’d love to attend a screening of The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told - Sita Sings the Blues. But there won’t be any near me. Thankfully the full film is available online. And the creator, the amazing Nina Paley, has a blog too.
- Go Broken Crow! At WACTAC’s 24 Art-Making Marathon.
- Was just alerted to the existence of Animals Have Problems Too. And F U, Penguin: Telling Cute Animals What’s What - the book. Shark Arm just makes me go Eep! And I never considered myself a bird person, but this photostream boggles the mind.
- Oh, the memories: A place for Punkrockers, Darksiders, Skinheads, Skateboarders, Graffiti Writers and Artists, and anyone else who hung out in the Uptown Minneapolis Youth Scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. Curious to see what sort of book might come out of this.
Won’t have much time when I’m in L.A. but my To Do list contains the usual suspects. Amoeba Records, Giant Robot, some vegan-friendly joints, but I’m open to any suggestions. Any raves/faves?
This weekend has been an emotionally charged one but I’m wending my way through the weirdness. Only time will tell if I am making sound decisions. Significant moments like these somehow make me feel like I’ve been the victim of time dilation. The rest of the world is rushing on, in fast forward, swirling around me while I remain stationary. Like I’m 35-going-on-15. It doesn’t seem possible that my son will soon be turning ten. A decade! Or that my brother Tom has been gone for twenty years, as of yesterday. TWO DECADES. And he experienced so little in his eighteen years. It seems like I’ve been taking on life for the both of us. Which makes me feel better about my habit of living in the moment, and seeking out the fun. Like right now. Rather than tackling more of the mundane, I’m about to embark on a neighborhood walkabout with the boy. Who has already told me where he’ll be taking me for dinner, on my dime, for Momz Day. Later on a friend is joining me for Mogwai with the most excellent Women opening. And I might just be able to squeeze in a few more episodes of 30 Rock before then. It’s a lot but it’s never too much. I plan to keep living every week like it’s Shark Week.
Bonus: I love what goes on inside Isabel’s brain. A decorative plate featuring a blinged out squirrel? YES! Speaking of amusing animals, Fuck You, Penguin is still going strong. I particularly like this smiling stingray (”stingrays forget their name is a dead giveaway”). And what the hell, a giant soft-shelled turtle.
Plus: Friday fun featured a Thai Mojito dress rehearsal at Clockwork, followed by Charles De Gaulle’s farewell show, with Falcon Crest aka Falcon Breast and Meth & Goats.
And: The original home of Literal videos.
My step-mother called to rant at me. About Stella McCartney. And the exorbitant prices she charges for her vegan-friendly handbags. “But they’re just plastic!” Yes, you’ve found us out. It’s a vegan conspiracy to sell more plastic to the masses at crazy marked up prices. Vegans everywhere are getting a cut. And we’re laughing all the way to the bank! I asked my vegan ex what he was doing with his share, expecting he would be more fiscally responsible than I am. He replied with “I blew it all on neon signs.” You’d have to know him, how quiet and unassuming he is, to fully grasp the hilarity of this.
I may have over-done it just a tidge Tuesday night but it was well worth it. I made it to three shows at three venues! Caught Chain and the Gang (with Ian Svenonius) at Eclipse. Hightailed it to the Entry for Sharp Teeth and Vivian Girls. Then wrapped up the evening at Big V’s with the triumphant return of Sicbay.
In other music news:
- An old video of our friend: SAM-azing. Wow. And just look at him now.
- PJ Harvey is performing at the MN Zoo this month. I’m somewhat tempted to drag my son along. Getting him a ticket is just slightly cheaper than getting a sitter, and some day he’ll have a story to tell (he’s already seen Le Tigre and Deerhoof, among others). My parents took me to see Kenny Rogers when I was kid. Not nearly as cool.
- 1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear
- Tomorrow night is all about more live music (maybe not songs everyone must hear) and mayhem with friends’ bands playing a house show.
The TOO MUCH ALL AT ONCE continues this evening and barrels right on through the weekend, though not all of it will be enjoyable. And I’m going to be in serious need of some quiet by the time Monday rolls around.
Bonus: Searching for Value in Ludicrous Ideas and another new collaborative art project, my favorite kind, I got an envelope!
Plus: This is just plain crazy and moderately unbelievable - front element scratches.
And: Kate Beaton continues to bring it. It being the best in web comics. Love this one about Diogenes. And she’s on twitter now too. Which is how I found this: Save Tesla! A battle to preserve Wardenclyffe.
