February 2003 Archive

Friday, February 28, 2003

Friday Five
(more info here)
1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)?
NONFICTION. And magazines. I am well know for my lack of fiction reading. When someone says, "Have you read _________?" I say, "If it's fiction, I haven't read it. I've just got no patient for fiction. It's extremely rare I read any more than 20 pages of a novel - just don't get hooked on 'em. Rather be learning.
2. What is your favorite novel?
Favorite book = Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler. Novel? Maybe Geek Love?
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!)
29 from Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Coney Island of the Mind (see below)
Apparently I like writing Larry's.

4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read?
I've got a great visual communications/semiotics library whispering, "Read us," every so often.
5. What are you currently reading?
The Social Life of Information.

29.
And that's the way it always is and that's the way it always ends and the fire and the rose are one and always the same scene and always the same subject right from the beginning like in the Bible or The Sun also Rises which begins Robert Cohn was middleweight boxing champion of his class but later we lost our balls and here we go again there we are again there's the same old theme and scene again with all the citizens and all the characters all working up to it right from the first and it looks like all they ever think of is doing It and it doesn't matter much with who half the time but the other half it matters more than anything O the sweet love fevers yes and there's always complications like maybe she has no eyes for him or him no eyes for her or her no eyes for her or him no eyes for him or something or other stands in the way like his mother or her father or something like that but they go right on trying to get it all the same like in Shakespeare of The Waste Land or Proust remembering his Things Past or wherever And there they are all struggling toward each other like those marble maidens on that Grecian Urn or on any market street or merrygoround around and around they go all hunting love and half the hungry time not even knowing just what is really eating them like Robin walking in her Nightwood streets although it isn't quite as simple as all that as if all she really needed was a good fivecent cigar oh no and those who have not hunted will not recognize the hunting poise and then the hawks that hover where the heart is hid and the hungry horses crying and the stone angels and heaven and hell and Yerma with her blind breasts under her dress and then Christopher Columbus sailing off in search and Rudolph Valentino and Juliet and Romeo and John Barrymore and Anna Livia and Abie's Irish Rose and so Goodnight Sweet Prince all over again with everyone and everybody laughing and crying along wherever night and day winter and summer spring and tomorrow like Anna Karenina lost in the snow and the cry of hunters in a great wood and the soldiers coming and Freud and Ulysses always on their hungry travels after the same hot grail like King Arthur and his nighttime knights and everybody wondering where and how it will all end like this in the movies or in some nightmaze novel yes as in a nightmaze Yes I said Yes I will and he called me his Andalusian rose and I said Yes my heart was going like mad and that's the way Ulysses ends as everything always ends when that hunting cock of flesh at last cries out and has his glory moment God and then comes tumbling down the sound of the axes in the wood and the trees falling down it goes the sweet cock's sword so wilting in the fair flesh fields away alone at last and loved and lost and found upon a riverbank along a riverrun right where it all began and so begins again

- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Coney Island of the Mind

posted on 2/28/2003 12:00:33 PM

Thursday, February 27, 2003

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Friday, February 21, 2003

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Woohoo!
ARGH!!!
Holy Poop!!

posted on 2/19/2003 07:32:03 PM

This-or-That Tuesday
(more info here) Yes, I know it's Wednesday.
1. Black or white?
Black.
2. Plaid or stripes?
Stripes - especially black and white.
3. Paperback or hardcover books?
PAPERBACK ONLY. I am a stickler about this.
4. Color or B&W printer?
Color.
5. Golden oldies or the newest tunes?
Oldies all the way.
6. Ice cream: in a cone or a dish?
At home - in a dish so you can make ice cream soup. On the go - in a cone because it's less waste and tasty.
7. Bath or shower?
Bath to relax, shower to get clean.
8. Are you outgoing or shy?
Outgoing, but that's because I give my introverted self plenty of alone time.
9. Answer the phone when it rings, or screen calls?
Screen.
10. VCR or TiVO?
VCR.

posted on 2/19/2003 04:17:13 PM

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Friday, February 14, 2003

I wore it today, debating which was a better Valentine's shirt that one or the one I bought that says "I'd rather be masturbating ." I opted for the former. So, I was with a group of women this evening and one immediately said, "I like that shirt."
Me: "Thanks, I made it."
Woman: "Oh, but is it true? Do you love your life?"
Me: "Yep."
Woman: "What do you do?"
Me: (pause) "I work for myself."
[laughter all around.]

I guess that what the right answer. "What do you do?" is one of the hardest questions I'm asked. There's too many choices and you never know which one someone wants.

I Hate the News
Man, I cannot fuckin' stand the news. I haven't watch the news in over a year, I'd say. I can see more merit in the national news, but local news makes me so angry. It's such bullshit! "Tonight at 10, your drinking water will kill you, your child could die, and the cure for cancer is in your refrigerator."

I know we're all supposed to hate lawyers, but as far as dubious careers go, I want to know how local tv news anchors and journalists live with themselves.

For instance, last night I caught the teaser for the news which purported, "Ice and sleet coming our way, how bad will the storm be?" I knew there wasn't a big storm in the forecast and figured it was just Grade A local news crapola. Yeah, no storm - but since it's mid-February and we haven't had a blizzard yet, they must fill their hysteria quota. So tonight the teaser was, "Well, the storm warning was lifted, but what will we face in the morning?"

Apparently, we must fear the dawn to watch the news, or to tolerate it. How did man survive before the 4:30, 6:00 and 10:00 news?! Surely, they all perished. Oh, wait, they did. *gasp* Is there no hope?

Cinematic Confusion
I just finished watching 8 1/2 Women by Peter Greenaway, thinking I was renting that hypersaturated French musical I saw as a trailer in a theater awhile back - 8 Women . Yes, both contain women, 'bout 8 of 'em, but those gotta be two very different movies. Yes, I caught on quickly that it was not the right movie, and thankfully I'm a Greenaway fan. *whew*

Happy VD
Ah, the sweet, sweet holiday of obligation. I'm all for celebrating love. While I'm not half of a couple, I am extremely grateful that my life is full of love. I am also extremely grateful that I live a life of very little obligation. Obligation has got to be the absolute worst motivation in the world. Someone - maybe some online article - summarized VD as the holiday of disappointment for women and guilt for men. Man, sign me up!! I hope everyone's huggin' loved ones of all sorts and not sweating the candy, flowers and jewelry.

Friday Five
(more info here)
1. Explain why you started to journal/blog.
I guess b/c the technology was easy-peasy (thanks to Blogger's "push button publishing for the people") and I like to tell stories and I've got a lot of them.
2. Do people you interact with day to day or family members know about your journal/blog? Why or why not?
I'm not shy/secretive about the blog!. Lots of good friends and family who aren't geographically near me are regulars. Out of the folks in Chicago, the only regulars are those with office jobs who are online a lot.
3. Do you have a theme for your journal/blog?
Nope. Just my thoughts. But I do try to not piss, moan or rant in it since it doesn't feel very productive. Plus, I'm a glass half full gal. And I pretty much never talk about client work.
4. What direction would you like to have your journal/blog go in over the next year?
Always want to be living a life that's interesting enough to blog about.
5. Pimp five of your favorite journals/blogs.
Craftgrrl, ljc, Not Martha, Petit Chou, Supah

posted on 2/14/2003 11:28:49 PM

Considerable Cloudiness
That's from the detailed forecast on Weather.com. Sounds ominous, eh?

I was just talking to Kristin. We're working together on a Powerpoint presentation. Today maybe 15 minutes of conversation was about the slide I'm working on clarifying, another 45 of me ranting and raving and telling many completely unrelated stories. We're normally chatty, but I felt like I had fallen into a whole other category - monologuist. At one point I stopped myself and apologized. Kristin quickly stated, "Well, I figure if I keep listening you'll tell me where the treasure in buried."

Perhaps.
Posted on 2/14/2003 11:36:39 AM

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Posted on 2/11/2003 08:48:14 PM

Fifth Dimension
"Age of Aquarius" is a pretty good song to hear first thing in the morning.

Oscar Nominations
Ok, I'm a big movie geek, so here's my gut reaction of who I want to win the Oscars, and who will. Yeah, not all categories are here, just ones I had an opinion on:

Best Picture: Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist

Actor: Adrien Brody, Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson

Actress: Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Diane Lane, Julianne Moore, Renee Zellweger
(I don't know if Kidman or Zellweger will win, but my guess is one of them)

Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper, Ed Harris, Paul Newman, John C. Reilly, Christopher Walken
(I didn't even know Walken was in Catch Me If You Can)

Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, Julianne Moore, Queen Latifah, Meryl Streep, Catherine Zeta-Jones
(I love all theses actresses. I want those three to win. No idea who will win.)

Director: Rob Marshall, Martin Scorsese, Stephen Daldry, Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar
(I like Daldry and Marshall, but I think Chicago might sweep, despite it being a high-concept musical.)

Adapted Screenplay: Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, "About a Boy"; Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, "Adaptation"; Bill Condon, "Chicago"; David Hare, "The Hours"; Ronald Harwood, "The Pianist."
(I thought About a Boy was charming. Glad to see it here.)

Original Screenplay: Todd Haynes, "Far From Heaven"; Jay Cocks and Steve Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, "Gangs of New York"; Nia Vardalos, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"; Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"; Carlos Cuaron and Alfonso Cuaron, "Y Tu Mama Tambien."
(The Underdog Oscar, probably not the best writing, but gets points for the context and that it's autobiographical)

Art Direction: "Chicago," "Frida," "Gangs of New York," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," "Road to Perdition."

Costume: "Chicago," "Frida," "Gangs of New York," "The Hours," "The Pianist."
(Chicago may be more obvious, because it's more theatrical, but everything in the Hours was spot on for the characters. And I like the crossover in details from one story to the next - like Virginia Woolf's amber necklace and Clarissa Vaughn's amber earrings)

Documentary Feature: "Bowling for Columbine," "Daughter from Danang," "Prisoner of Paradise," "Spellbound," "Winged Migration."
(sadly, I've only seen Bowling for Columbine, since it's so rare to get to see documentaries. I really dug B for C, but I kinda doubt Moore will win)

We will see what happens March 23rd!

posted on 2/11/2003 09:09:18 AM

Saturday, February 08, 2003

Right around the time I graduated from college, I vowed to stop making clothing. It was too frustrating. My sewing was relegated to pillows, quilts, bags.

But now because I've been enjoying wearing skirts (huh?) and because my favorite garish pants are about to crap out, I decided to sew a few skirts. Since the economy is retarded there's no brightly colored clothing. Two signs of lulls in the economy - vibrant clothing and lots of white space in ads are bellwether of good times.

Well, I toddled off to the fabric store and bought a couple patterns. In the remnants second, I found sound fuschia corduroy and some nice black cotton. With the former I made an a-line skirt last night. Purdy cute, purdy easy. The black color will be used to make another a-line skirt. This one will be black on the top, then a line of white rickrack in the seam, then a black and white abstract print that'll work well with the rickrack and then the hem will be a black scallop. That's the plan, Stan.

But today, I've been sewing bags with the remaining pink cords. They are curvy cute bags, that I'm calling watermelon bags, because they are half-circles the color of a slice of watermelon.

My back is angry from hunching over the sewing machine. But it's great to see things come together. And the biggest joy in a tiny detail, is that I bought new straight pins. They are divine. The scraggly collection of pins I had before is far inferior to these pins. They are long and svelte. Yeah, that sound stupid for pins, but they have such a nice weight feel in my fingers. Actually made me want to pin things!

Now I'm off for an evening of socializing and not curled up around a machine!

posted on 2/8/2003 05:47:10 PM

Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Ouch
Wanna know how cold it can get in the Midwest U.S.? You know when you eat ice cream or ice a shake too fast and you get that "ice cream headache Now imagine your whole head hurting like that. There. That's how cold it can get here.

Posted on 2/4/2003 06:08:28 PM

Monday, February 03, 2003

So, one of the other items in my mailbox when I returned was an envelope from my high school. First thought = What the fuck? Our senior year they asked us each to answer 10 question to be sent to us in 10 years. A few examples:
1. Where will you be living?
In a trailer home or apartment in either Iowa or Minnesota.
(Alludes my love of small spaces and pre-Chicago-discovery)
2. Will you be married?
Possibly.
3. What will be your recreation?
Art, karaoke night addiction.

Posted on 2/3/2003 07:41:50 PM

Terrifying Toothbrush
Ok, so I'm still somewhat charmed by the flashing toothbrush. Two problems: [1] the rubber end of the toothbrush that you use to turn on the flashing has that weird rubber smell [2] The flashing is really bright and kinda scary. It's disturbing to have a bright red light eminating from one's mouth.

Back in the Saddle
Headaches gone, fully rested and my nose is back on the grindstone. One problem - my carpal tunnel pain is at about 70%. So, I'll be alternating hours between computer work and anything but computer work. It's a big work of graphics and HTML production, so I've gotta pace my brain, butt and arms for the long haul.

Posted on 2/3/2003 01:04:07 PM

Nola Soona
*whew* Took about 7 hours just now to get this far on the New Orleans gallery. Photos edited, images prepped and thumbnails made, navigation images created, pages built, internal links created. All that's left is captions, external links and linking it up on the gallery page. I've been plagued by barometric pressure headaches since I got back, so I'm too pooped and pained to finish it now. Pleez let it rain tomorrow!!

God of Small Things
Last night at the wine tasting, Rob was saying that his Saturday went swimmingly, and that if he could get to bed without a hitch, he would have "won Saturday." In response to Rob's pleasure for a day well spent, Anne called Rob "a god of small things."

That's the first I've heard of that phrase and I really dig it.

Today at Osco, while buying diet coke to combat the aforementioned headaches, my eyes spied a flashing toothbrush. You push the bottom of the handle and it flashed red for 60 seconds. The idea is that the red light will put children in a minute long trance of dental hygiene. I know it'll work on me! I love shiny things. I bought a red glittery one, since the light is red and I am obsessed with color matching. I finally get to use it in a few minutes.

Makes me feel like a god of small things too.

Posted on 2/3/2003 02:40:22 AM

Sunday, February 02, 2003

The transitional cab from Party A to Party B never surfaced, so fellow partygoers Lynn and Jeff gave me a ride to the Blue Line. I sat on the train with legs crossed in black tights. No biggie, but one man gave my an appreciative and respectful look as he entered the train. We both got off the train at Damen, and he offered a marriage proposal. I declined, but it was a nice exchange. One of those "catcall" moments, some are just gross and make me want to kick the guy in the nuts, some are respectful and flattering and I feed on the flattery for awhile. This was the latter.

Off to the wine tasting. I didn't anticipate a dance party, but when I entered people were movin' and groovin'. I joined in and shook my tuckus off. My cohorts in Darkroom Chemicals were on fire. Apparently, I missed the more reserved section of the evening. I was happy to jump in for the last throes of dancing, drinking, smoking, etc.

After Mexican food with Ethan and Anne, I made it back into my bed at 5 am.

Morning After
So, I slept too long. I opened the window and had that perfect combination being under the toasty warm blankets, and the chill from the window settling on my exposed arms. Perfect.

Tonight, I finish the New Orleans gallery.
Posted on 2/2/2003 04:30:23 PM

Saturday, February 01, 2003

I came home to many treasures: the dozen or so dvd's I ordered two weeks ago, "High Drama: The Real Johnnie Ray", a birthday card from my Grandma Shirley, eBay purchase of the Juliet of the Spirits paperback, AND my surprise from Mark Ehling. He sent me a framed copy of the letterpress and linocut(?) "Letter to Stave Off Bird Attack." So friggin' great! There will be a care package going to Tuscaloosa soon.

Currently, I am listening to Johnnie Ray SO LOUD and about to head off to two parties - a Beatle-themed costume birthday party, and then a wine/cheese tasting. To the former I'll be dressed as "Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds," to the latter as semi-formal Brandy Agerbeck.

Posted on 2/1/2003 07:46:53 PM