this ain't no love-in

music to check out - Asobi Seksu

2009-04-29T15:02:00.010-05:00

asobi seksu at empty bottle, 3/5/09

a good video of asobi seksu at the abbey pub a few years ago, playing one of their most delish songs

Early last month, I was happy to go to my first Asobi Seksu show...and yes, it has taken me this long to post about it because I have, once again, been a blog-tease asshole. But, I'm trying OK!? Anyway, the show was just what I'd hoped for - loud, dreamy, a good mix of old songs & new...and Yuki has such a great voice, strong & sweet at the same time. At this show, though, I completely came around to agreeing with Thax Douglas's disdain for audacious photographers who stand smack dab in the front and flash pic after pic after pic of the singer...OK, of course Yuki is super hot. And I am slightly hypocritical because I like to take a few photos at shows. But I try to use flash sparingly, and certainly only take pics during the first few songs. Anyway, I actually left slightly before the end of the show because the music devolved into a shoegaze throwback wall of sound that was almost loud enough to make me shit my pants. I was with them even through the wall for about 10 minutes though...that's really saying something.

SO MANY LEMONS

2009-03-23T12:13:00.002-05:00

the new volcano! single and music video are up now....

"If you collect Tracey Emin's work and you have a pool she would like to hear from you."

2009-03-11T21:51:00.006-05:00

www.emininternational.com (thinking of calling my new site www.arctanderinternational.net)

Tracey Emin has a new website, and there is nothing on it yet except for this promo pic of her in a pool, with a list of her crazy-ass upcoming shows and the aforequoted message to her collectors at the bottom. i can't help but dig the cheekiness. And the fact that she is a balls-out bona fide art star - famous beyond the edges of the art world. Not that celebrity is so important, but there are so many of them, i am glad the art world can contribute at least a couple of interesting whack-jobs to the fray. I mean, who else is a truly famous artist these days? Matthew Barney? Jeff Koons? Blech. They are not even humans anymore. Check out this video of Tracey cutting a rug in a stuffy, plushy Hollywood hotel room. It feels fun, cute, personal, eerie and creepy all at once. Oh and Tracey looks fab. Sorry no embedded video, they won't let me embed it for some reason.

straight hood.

2009-03-11T21:29:00.005-05:00

moments after completing my orange hooded scarf - dig that scalloped edge

I'm so into hoods right now. They are practical and can be weirdly elegant in that delightful Little Edie Beal way. I finally completed the hooded scarf knitting project that you see above about a month ago, after carrying it around with me for ages with barely any progress. The pattern is the "Grown-up Bonnet" from the wonderful Knit 2 Together book by Tracey Ullman & Mel Clark. I've already begun to knit a new black and orange flecked fuzzy hood and I made a pattern to sew up a lined hood from this mangy black fake fur that I have leftover from another project...we will see how that turns out...

Mardi grab-ass.

2009-03-09T16:41:00.007-05:00

delish king cakes - Tofutti cream cheese filling on the left, exploding cherry filling on the right.
There was definitely an ugly sibling in this pair. it's my fault, i overfilled him!

even after some surgery and icing, the cherry cake was still the red-headed stepchild. but tasty nonetheless!

vampire chic - erin's classic take & my loretta lynn inspired outfit.
that lacey shrug i am wearing was a thrift store find; original color was cream, i RIT dyed it brown and now it's beautiful!

red red red - sloe gin fizz, rose petals, blood

me and peter. a fitting portrait.

My friends know that I love almost nothing more than playing hostess. I'm particularly into themed parties. In fact, I should really do a belated post on the cocktails and hors d'oeuvres I did for the Madmen-inspired New Year's eve soiree that I put on this year. Anyhows, I visited friends in New York over Mardi Gras this February and helped put on a party called This Ain't No Love-in: Mardi Grab-ass with my dear friends Erin & Margo. The inspiration: vampires in New Orleans. I made veganized king cakes (a favorite recipe from pakupaku.info that I've revisting annually the past few years) and Erin served pitchers of sloe gin fizz, a goblet of blood, and lots of beer.

Tiny Clothing in my Hand

2009-03-08T20:29:00.005-05:00

As someone who's always been into dolls (mostly for their clothes) from Barbie to Molly to Blythe, Jon Coffelt's Memory Clothing project struck a chord with me when I heard about it in an email forwarded from the artist. He was looking for commissions for this miniature clothing project - for the price of $250 and surrender of a beloved piece of clothing, Coffelt will make you a tiny, hand-sewn version of the clothing item, using materials from the original article. This simple idea immediately brought up warm, wistful connotations for me - most of all it reminded me of my grandma, how she sewed clothing for both my mom and her Barbie and Troll dolls, and also herself. I now own a couple fab dresses that my grandma made herself in the 70s, and they fit me like a glove. Especially now that my grandma is gone, it makes me happy to be close to something she made during a time before I was even born. To learn more about Memory Clothing, you can contact the artist at joncoffeltart@gmail.com.

Chiogga Beets! Can't be beat.

2009-03-08T19:27:00.003-05:00

raw power

after oven

beet buddy. what about "Chioggia" as the name of my first born daughter? One toke over?

Although cooking is one of my absolute favorite things in the world, I've been reluctant to do such posts because I am shit at taking food pics. But, I've decided to just try my best and not worry...it makes sense since I spend so much time working on cooking, veganizing recipes etc. I got these beautiful chioggia beets in my weekly produce box from the rather wonderful local, organic food providers Fresh Picks. I'd had beets on the brain since Kristina's recent beet post. I didn't even know these whimsical (not to mention delicious, particularly sweet) beets even existed! I just roasted them up with olive oil, thyme, salt & pepper (and I also did a little squash that I needed to use). We ate these with a big salad and it was tasty & fun. Now I only wonder where to find these babies on a regular basis....

music to check out - wildbirds & peacedrums

2009-02-16T18:51:00.000-06:00

Wildbirds & Peacedrums at Metro, 2/7/09. pardon the crap image, i had to take a phone pic

funny live promo video, good performance of "Doubt/Hope"

I've now had the pleasure of seeing Wildbirds & Peacedrums play in two radically different contexts - first in a highly intimate show, sitting a few feet away from them at the Swedish cultural center in Paris this past November and second at the Metro here in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Not knowing what to expect and skeptical of Aaron (Wildbirds are on the same label as Aaron's band volcano!, Leaf Label)'s praise for the singer's intensity and prowess, I found myself completely disarmed by the first show. The duo are a Swedish couple: Andreas handles drums/percussion and Mariam sings and plays some dulcimer, some drums, but mostly SINGS. The apparent simplicity of their stripped down compositions belies the unique energy buzzing through their work. Mariam's voice is truly singular - she effortlessly flits between gently atmospheric, almost painstaking delivery and full-on Janis Joplin power. While I enjoy the recordings they can't hold a candle to the live experience...to seeing firsthand the communication between the musicians and the room they allow themselves to explore within structured songs. The fact that they are both painfully cute and stylish doesn't hurt their case, either. Both are also quite nice and humble - I have a feeling they may just be on the brink of indie darlingdom.

Art Shanties

2009-02-15T19:20:00.000-06:00

inside this shanty, people generated electricity to run coffee makers by riding bicycles

inside the explorers' marooned shanty

pushing the ice ship past the black box theatre and the 3-story shanty

real live sauna shanty

molly & sam in the snap shot shanty

glllllrg so cutie - popping out of a dicehouse

two-fisting hot dogs while maintaining a jaunty air - that's how they roll up north

360 degree view

The primary objective of our Minneapolis trip last month was to check out the 2009 Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN (just outside the city). I heard about the shanties from my new friend Molly, who has participated in them for the past three years. The project, inspired by Minnesota’s communities of hardcore ice fishers and the makeshift dwellings that they inhabit during the frozen season, allows a unique space for artists to create fun, interactive spaces. The quiet, snowy landscape created a dreamy setting for the wacky shanties. The projects achieved interactivity with varying degrees of success – while the knitting circle shanty and sauna shanty were great ideas, I didn’t feel comfortable or prepared to jump in and actually participate in them. The snap shot shanty (Molly’s project) was a simple, gorgeous photo studio on ice and the transantarctic expedition shanty presented a narrative based on a true story of shipwrecked early 20th c. explorers. We wandered around for a couple hours, popping into each shanty…I loved the drowsy, lulling atmosphere. I loved how many attendees were families with young kids and the pervasive sense of play – no hint of art show pretension whatsoever.

Can I just say

2009-02-10T22:09:00.002-06:00

m.i.a. at the grammys, 2/8/09

teengage Bjork in the 80s, pregnant and postpunky on icelandic tv, inducing heart attacks in the elderly

I realize how boring it is to add to a chorus of intarweb cheers re: celeb fashion, but I just have to point out how fucking amazing M.I.A. looked during her performance at the grammys. I loved the fun, adventurous outfit that accentuated her huge pregnancy stomach and ass and I adored the way she was bumping and grinding on mainstream national television while 9 months along. This was nearly enough to make me consider rocking some false belly while out on the town. True, it's hardly controversial for women to rock out with their tums out - a young Bjork scandalized uptight Icelanders this way in the 80s, and since then everyone from demi to britney has indulged in the cliche of tasteful nude photo spreads of pregnant hollywood royalty. The bjork/m.i.a. brand of stylish, individualistic celebration of boisterous sexuality while pregnant is just so hot and puts the tired, prescribed and airbrushed portrayal of pregnant famous women as natural earth mothers to shame.

Minnesota Nice

2009-02-09T10:59:00.001-06:00

this is me skiing down a mountain...er, big hill

aaron looks so adept on those skis

hot tub! luxe city...

the man of the house by the hearth

When we rolled into the Holiday Inn Express at 2:30am Friday night/Saturday morn, I spaced out while Aaron dealt with the dude behind the counter. As we trundled into the elevator, Aaron asked, "Did you hear what he asked us!?" I hadn't...the friendly graveyard shift desk guy had offered us a free upgrade to a king size room with fireplace and hot tub! me-ow! i suspect he thought that aaron was cute. anyway, this was the harbinger of many lovely things to come during our minneapolis mini trip. on Saturday, we went cross country skiing (my first time ever on skis) which was really fun despite the number of spills i took. we went to the walker, really enjoyed the tetsumi kudo retrospective... ate delicious vegan pizza at pizza luce (WHY the fuck isnt there an equivalent to this place in chicago!??) and went to the party i mentioned below at art of this gallery.

Patti Smith made feel like a cynic

2009-01-31T01:24:00.000-06:00

Patti Smith holds court at the Block Museum, 1/30/09, with Jim DeRogatis and Steven Sebring

The other night, I saw a screening of Steven Sebring's Patti Smith documentary, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, featuring a q&a with Patti and the director after the film. The documentary is non-linear, non-narrative..snippets of film that Sebring (fashion/celeb photographer) shot of Patti Smith over the course of 10 years with, he claims, no preconceived notion of creating a feature-length film. While the doc featured some funny, poignant moments and great footage of live performances, I must admit that many moments came off as just too cheesy for me..like Patti reciting her poetry as a voice over, hanging out with various celebrity friends, wandering around international locales (although rock critic derogatis and director both spent a lot of time after the screening talking about how remarkable it was that patti left the rock limelight to quietly raise kids in detroit). in person, though, her excitement to share and create and converse was remarkably infectious. she palled around and took polaroids of audience members. i appreciated her honesty when someone asked her about what new music she is into, and she immediately fessed up that she is not in touch with the currents of now. she claimed that she lurks myspace, though, and checks out the bands that befriend her...which is a pretty adorable mental image. she played my blakean year solo on acoustic guitar and added an intro with lyrics about her very early childhood in logan square. the song was great, and her overall earnest drive to work and work at art made me feel like perhaps i think too much before feeling/doing? i'm not fully convinced of that, but i did think it was pretty wonderful that a 62 year old artist made me feel like i'm too jaded.

volcanic new music video in the works

2009-01-31T01:04:00.000-06:00

without giving too much away, these pictures give some hints about the next volcano! music video. we are shooting it on march 1, and our good friend pat meegan is coming out from nyc to shoot it. our other brooklyn bestie, one peter galassi, is working on it as well. i am helping out with some elaborate costume-making, finding good locations etc. this will be a fun and challenging project...stay tuned. any guesses as to what's going on in these pictures are encouraged.

music to check out - bruteheart

2009-01-21T20:41:00.000-06:00

bruteheart at art of this gallery, minneapolis, 1/17/09

first off, NO LOVE-IN is back for 2009! i promise. i know i have been a complete slouch and basically taken a blogging sabbatical this past month, but i've found it difficult to conjure post topics during my normal home/work life. keeping the writing up during sedentary times will be a good challenge.

true to form, as soon as i set off for a mini trip to minneapolis this past weekend, my blog inspiration juices started flowing. first on the list...i happened upon a great musical performance on saturday night, at a party at a gallery called art of this.. in a funny storefront space - a sultry, plucky, and often haunting three-piece consisting of women musicians playing viola, electric bass and drums. all three sang, sometimes in harmony, with rich voices. they instantly reminded me of quix*o*tic...which says a lot, as mortal mirror is an old favorite of mine. they have a really nice EP for sale (screenprinted artwork!). give them a listen at www.myspace.com/bruteheart. and visit again soon for more adventures from minna-soda.

misuse of transformative powers

2008-12-09T18:56:00.000-06:00

I had this elaborate, vivid dream while still in paris:

peter & co. had a podcast like they do in real life (see Omnipotent Chirp here), but it was an always-video podcast. For one episode peter and tim got very excited about the idea of getting these 3 korean dudes who were ex-monks or something? Who were able to harness the powers of their minds and bodies and don suits made of Bodyworld bodies (buffalo bill style) to become monsters. Somewhere between a twisted party trick and a divine conversion. To tape it all peter and tim rented some hotel room which consisted of a big empty white space and a separate room with a huge door made entirely of thick safety glass. It didn’t feel like New York at all. I think we were in Florida. For some reason, I was to be the guest on the podcast that week – Katie was behind the camera and Caitlin didn’t want to be there, but she wrote up the text that accompanied the video on the site. Before we started shooting the Korean guys were young, friendly if completely enamored of their own quasi-magical vocation. When we started taping it was terrifying madness, the Bodyworlds monster men were flexing, roaring, jumping, coming at us. Peter and Tim maintained a somewhat sardonic air beneath the sweat, but I was straight-up terrified. I was frantically speaking French in my fear? Peter toted an AK-47 obtained from a contact in San Francisco just in case things got really out of hand. The experience with the monster-men seemed to last forever, all doors slamming and us eventually figuring out we could yell clear, one word orders at them and they would have to obey – I remember yelling “freeze!” once and they did, momentarily. at some point during the madness I fled.

I never saw the video footage but they posted it online and it became a controversial overnight sensation. They received thousands of comments on their site. Many people incensed, not at the beyond-gauche practice of wearing Bodyworlds remains but at these monks' misuse of transformative powers for frivolous thrills and profit. I attended a planning meeting with the podcast kids in Pat’s bedroom. Later, I returned to the hotel room to meet the boys to talk about stuff and they had a huge, glossy poster display (like for a fancy movie’s press junket, maybe that’s what it was) which showed video stills, tons of the blog comments, and the written responses of the three ex-monks themselves. Again, they took a frat boy self-congratulatory tone.

Then, a plot diversion during which I was quite young, still living with my parents, and both megan and I wanted to take up running to attract certain guys. I couldn’t remember where I’d left my bike, couldn’t remember whether I was in middle school or high school, or what time school started. Finally recalled that I was in middle school, had left my bike there days ago, and needed to get to class asap. Had to get on a city bus to go over there…the seats on the bus were all in one semicircle like in a paddy wagon and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation that over 1000 monks had joined together to disavow what “they” had done and that prosecutors were going to try to take down Peter for carrying the AK-47 as clearly documented in the video, as he has no gun license on file. All the venom was aimed toward Peter & Tim, none toward me (though I was seen on the video too) or the monks themselves. A mushy-mouthed dude sitting at the back of the bus and holding some copies of his own cd to try to sell started to incoherently go on about what atrocious sinners Peter & Tim were. This guy turned out to be R. Kelly’s less known brother.

end game

2008-11-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

it's my last night in paris, right now! for the first time ever on this blog i am typing directly into the blogspot text box and writing about the moment, which feels good. i may go back in time to share more about my travel adventures but as of right now i abandon the daily journal conceit - who needs linear narrative anyway? i do like having photos to post though, and off the cuff writing can complicate that i guess...

ANYWAY i am writing this while finishing a bottle of wine and laying on the living room floor of my one-month paris apt. for the last time. and i am really so excited to go home! i miss chicago and "normal life" a bit i guess. oh man "making plans for nigel" keeps coming up on my itunes shuffle. my ipod accidentally got wiped the other day and i renamed it "algaepod" and it rose from the ashes. weirdly looking forward to long travel day tomorrow but also setting myself on down hangover highway here.

Versailles

2008-11-29T15:03:00.000-06:00

Koons at Versailles, November 2008

Day 32, 11/18 Went to Versailles – got to see Jeff Koons show there! I put off and put off seeing his MCA Chicago show and ended up missing it, and I am so glad I did…the work is just so perversely at home in Versailles. Some of the installations of the pieces in context set up funny juxtapositions (his iron lobster hanging as a partner to an enormous chandelier), but most were pretty straightforward. I would’ve liked to see a bit more adventurous installation - like more than 1 piece per room perhaps in some cases? At any rate there is no way I’d rather see that bizarre egomaniacal Koons stuff than in one of the prototypical houses of bombastic absurdity. Versailles itself was interesting; we signed up for a walking tour which to our surprise ended up being very private – a group of only 5 people and we got to tour the former private royal apartments. The gen entry ticket only allows visitors into the public apartments, so this was a nice peaceful contrast to the clutter and crowds of those. Our tour guide also led us up to see the Versailles chapel’s organ up close and we happened to get a private concert from one of France’s most esteemed organists.

Day 33, 11/19 Margo’s last day in town – we do a morning walking tour of Montmartre, climb up to the top of the mont…there and the top of the centre pompidou offer the best views I’ve seen of the city. Got wonderful pesto pasta and vin chaud during Margo's last Parisian dejeuner for this trip. Last night, I had a dream that my grandpa was getting married. The dream’s main character started off as my maternal side grandpa but then began sometimes switching into my paternal side grandpa later on. (in real life, both of my grandpas have been dead for years, also both died before their wives). There was a stuffy, pastel outdoor reception going on and volcano! played just one song as the house band, and it was a slow, lulling melody and aaron sang in an uncharacteristically soft, breathy voice...fluctuating between very high and low pitches. Erin and Margo also shunned me at some point during the dream but I can't remember why.

Marg-shop comes to Paris

2008-11-29T14:47:00.000-06:00

Palais de Tokyo, November 2008 - note burry man

anamatronic window decor at Galeries Lafayette

Day 29, 11/15 slept in, then went on French revolution Paris Walks tour again with Brad as tour guide. Rushed back home to greet margo who is set to arrive at my apt. around 5:30! She took the chunnel over after spending a couple days in London. We chatted for a bit then went to monoprix and produce stands for food & wine provisions. Got crepe dinner at adorable and tasty tucked away spot right down the street. The restaurant has 2 resident gray birds and a stripey cat but they appear harmonious. That night we went to Le Divan du Monde, a bigger Pigalle club which was hosting a rock night which turned out to be mostly hilarious. They played some crap music for much of the night…only after 3am did our moment in the 80s dance classics sun arrive. We also posed for these “drawing with light” promo pics for some website, the photographer doing the job was nice and it was a funny experience. A wild 40 year old man on the dancefloor kept accidentally telling me he was 14 in English. Took drunk bus again and chatted with a friendly and adorable local couple – asked them the best places to go in paris. They said Paris clubs suck and it is best to make a party at home. Must find friend with whom to make a party. We got home and to sleep at about 5am.

Day 30, 11/16 woke up early to head to a huge flea market at Porte de Banves, not far from our neighborhood. shops are all asleep on Sunday morning. Market offerings run the gamut from beautiful vintage furniture to piles of piece of crap cords and odds n ends. We went back home to chillax a little, tried to go to the catacombes and got denied by long lines. then went out to find thai food, failed, ended up at a postcard picturesque outdoor café, watching the blue Eiffel tower seizure sparkle in white light every 30 min. or so. With food and wine in bellies we went to check out the Palais de Tokyo – an art space nearby in a building from the 1937 world exhibition. Hard to get a good sense of the building from the inside, but the shows are wonderful – a series of related shows all curated by artists chosen by Jeremy Deller (curator-in-chief, basically). My favorites included a show highlighting celebratory culture and tradition in various (mostly out-of-the-way) british locales (including a Scottish tradition known as the burry man – google image search it. now I know where I want my next intl trip to take me) and one that traced a path from the advent of the industrial revolution in England on down to the emergence of glam rock - a quietly audacious turn. Also on display, the beautifully crafted political banners of Ed Hall. Remarkably little to do with French culture.

Day 31, 11/17 Took the Paris Walks tour of Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame – a tiny group led by an even tinier brit named Jennifer. She clandestinely led us into the beautiful courtyard of the Hotel-Dieu, the oldest hospital in paris, founded in AD 651! Saw a statue of a famous physician that students dress up (he’d been given the Ledger Joker treatment) and med students on smoke breaks. Afterward, got crepes at a cozy spot on Ile Saint-Louis. Then headed to very upscale shopping meccas the Galeries Lafayette and Colette, prompted by margo’s necessity to do some French fashion scene homework, very interesting! And exciting to see some of this stuff in person – Comme des Garcons, Miu Miu. And I picked up a pricey and beautiful seasonal makeup palette by a gorgeous brand, new to me, shu uemura. went to the Centre Pompidou, more interested in the permanent collection than the special exhibition on futurism – though the Jacque Villegle show was interesting, if mostly as a catalogue of the evolution of paris poster advertisements over the course of 40 years. Lots of Beuys – got to walk into an installation of a felt insulated room.

back in Paris

2008-11-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

Kristina at l'Institut du Monde Arabe

i love this man.

Days 26-27, 11/12-13 blah-feeling days marked by some work on art/application stuff and the time-sucking discovery, whilst viewing my checking account online as I so often do, of fraudulent charges made with my checkcard. Someone purchased textbooks from a website called Valore Books and 2 online bookstores of different Midwestern community colleges? 3 separate book charges and a UPS charge for over $100 in shipping! Bizarre, bizarre, very long story short – bank of America again proves very unaccommodating. I literally spent 5 hours jostled around and fucked off on the phone before giving up. I have no access at all to money because of course I had to cancel my checkcard and though the bank said they would send a new card to my paris address I called back the next day and “no maam, that was sent out to your St. Louis I mean Chicago address.” Gave up on the bank. I called my mom, and am lucky enough that my mom very graciously wires me a loan – my first taste of Western Union. Seems to be a more effective system than many. So, truth be told this whole ordeal brought all of my financial difficulty frustrations to a head and one day I did nothing other than attempt to take a nice walk in the hood but didn’t even enjoy children and parents walking hand in hand after school or a small merry-go-round or bakeries. Well, I did enjoy a bakery a little bit by purchasing a baguette and citron tartelette. I am now at the point where I don’t quite know how well I will function without glorious fresh baguettes and lemon tarts at my disposal.

Day 28, 11/14 took our 2nd paris walking tour: Hemingway’s paris. our guide is an American dude named Brad who greatly resembles Mike, who you may remember as volcano!’s friend/driver on their current tour. Kristina and I decided that one day mike may leave his father’s law practice in the dust to indulge in and share his passion for European cities. The hemingway walk was thrilling, the Latin Quarter is lovely and we saw the smallest (shortest and most narrow) remaining street in paris, delightfully named Rue du chat qui peche (fishing cat street!). Later that day walked to the Institut du Monde Arabe, a building from 1986 with hundreds of amazing mechanically operated, light sensitive apertures covering one length of the building. Go back to the apt. for awhile, then head out to a reading at the red wheelbarrow, a bookstore in the marais to which chris, our first paris walks tour guide who showed us around the Marais a couple of days ago, introduced us. We arrive a bit late and the tiny store is stuffed to the gills with people and the reading is already underway. I feel awkward lingering out front but luckily we do because eventually a man near the door beckons for us to squeeze in. we missed the first of the 2 writers’ readings and the second novel seemed not so hot, but it is interesting none the less. A lot of the q&a is in French and I am thrilled to catch most of it (though I do not grasp the meaning of a passage that one of the writers reads in French). The bookstore is run by sweet girls who pass around generous portions of red wine, one is an uber-nerd bespectacled Canadian who I instantly girl crush on. She unabashedly said she has only read maybe 5 novels in French although she has lived here for umpteen years and I dug her honesty. Later that night we went to a reportedly hip club called Truskel that had a horrendous sound system but played a lot of decent to good dance music – even some Britpop! They silently showed the boys don’t cry 1987(?) version music video on their tv monitors over and over on a loop all night, which made me feel at home. Took the noctilien – night bus for the first time, it’s remarkably effective and practically free though, I suspect, it would be very difficult to bear the company if completely sober.

London continued

2008-11-21T19:00:00.000-06:00

the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, 11/8

the O2 center, looking like a Cloudbuster

Day 23, 11/8 felt like shit all day, pitifully stayed in until nightfall. Finally – merciful drainage! Blew my nose about 600 times. Dozed, watched moronic tv, ordered curry room service, finally took a very hot bath and that was the ticket. Propelled by cabin fever, and the ability to breathe through my nostrils, I mustered the energy to dress and wander outward….walked from near the Barbican through Shoreditch to Bethnal Green and attended a dreamy wonderful dance party. It was gogo/grind themed, and all sorts of cute and stylish girls and boys were thematically dressed to the 9s. unlike anything ive ever encountered at a club in Chicago, or anywhere other than London really. It made me think of a film shoot: some key extras costumed to the hilt in the foreground of the shot and others in the back more low-key. The key extras were thick on the ground. The music was delicious and I danced a bunch on my own and later, briefly, with some fun girls, drank only 2 whiskeys because I ran out of pounds, put off a couple dudes. One slick live band set and some gogo girl/burlesque numbers – featuring delightfully curvy girls only! I was on cloud 9. Started the 30 min. walk back to my hotel at about 1:30. The friend who told me of the party stood me up, but I was happy and even sort of exhilarated to be an independent rover on the social scene that night.

Day 24, 11/9 slept pretty well, felt ok still when awoke about an hour later than intended. Rushed to get out of hotel on time and headed over to the o2 center in north Greenwich to see the bodyworlds exhibit there – which I’ve been meaning to see in various cities for years now but have always missed. O2 center is bizarre enormous tent-bubble with exhibition space, huge auditorium space apparently (the Coogan would play there the very night after I left! Alas) and tons of cheesy restaurants and such. The bodyworlds show was certainly interesting – raises so many, not necessarily intended, issues. And the inclusion of coaxing displays about body donation seemed wholly inappropriate. It was impossible not to wonder at the astronomical kitsch factor inherent to some of the bodies’ poses – a gymnast mid ring routine! A poetic horse and rider! It was certainly entrancing though. These forms are so acutely different from the living bodies they once were – human forms are there but stuffed with polymers their presence changes so significantly. Anyway, I was definitely engrossed and did learn some things about body systems in an intimate way. Surprisingly, the only super gross-out moment I experienced was at the end of the show – a plastinated giraffe!!! with long tongue licking own face – the back end section was sliced open to show internal organs and looking up into the giraffe’s wide asshole and splayed digestive system was truly nauseating. Anywhoo, after this and eating at a Mexican-ish restaurant in the o2 center I headed to the airport and had no flight issues, arrived "home" in Paris earlier than I expected.

London

2008-11-21T18:53:00.000-06:00

handsome british duck

Day 21 11/6 woke up v. early to pack and get myself to orly – flight to London! So very excited to be back in probably my favorite city after 5 years. And to see aaron! I was supposed to get into London at 11:30am. Long story short: after multiple canceled flights and a cab ride from Orly to Charles De Gaulle and then narrowly missing another flight there..i did not actually arrive at my hotel to meet aaron until 9pm. Shared aforementioned cab with a sweet and fatherly british man named Mr. Evans who let me borrow his cell phone and works for the 2nd largest manufacturer of aerosol can spray tops…a huge multinational. he was a business restructuring specialist who had joined the company 6 mos ago. In a gentlemanly gesture he tried to convince Air France to upgrade us “for our trouble” but the bastards didn’t go for it. He got slightly ahead of me during the melee of passport check and security and he made the flight that I narrowly missed after sprinting down to the final gate of a comically long terminal. Finally seeing aaron was so nice! I showered and we went out to dinner, swiss vegetarian buffet concept restaurant near Piccadilly circus, the buffet was a boat. and then just headed back to the hotel, which was quite nice but where I suspect someone stole my identity.

Day 22 11/7 we headed back to Piccadilly circus area to procure a new macbook charger for aaron – his had burned out weeks earlier. Found a delish all-vegan pan-asian lunch buffet for only 5.50 in soho! walked through beautiful st. james park towards the thames, saw amazing waterfowl – even pelicans! And beautiful, strange ducks. Took a ferry to Greenwich, a touristy-quaint area. Luckily snuck into a covered marketplace just as the sky split open. Spent an inordinate amount of time in a sweet small vintage shop with a cute boy behind the counter, he was blasting Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me which really took me back…and I ended up buying a dress! Fashion splurge #1 of the trip. It’s a goldenrod color, high lace neck and sleeves with a jersey body and coordinating belt, cinched waist and circle skirt. The tag read “80s” but moreso I spied “mad men.” Think it will be my NYE attire. Aaron tried on many jackets similar to his current, tattered jacket and none were just right. We eventually headed down to lewisham, where volcano! was to play that night, in a pubby place with an awkwardly located stage. Met friendly people, including Ben from Leaf Label and his friend Neil. Ate Indian food, drank beer, felt great…until volcano!’s set. The high volume level drove the several pounds of fluids residing in my sinuses and all other head canals to press upon my ears with fantastic force. It was ridiculous and v. painful, and I was afraid I’d burst an eardrum! The show was packed with an energetic crowd, which was nice. It became difficult even to be affable post-show. Got back to the hotel finally and was very sick to my stomach. A lousy way to spend my second and final “aaron in London” night but it was at least nice to have him there.

Paris III

2008-11-21T18:41:00.000-06:00

Tomb of Julio Cortazar and Carol Dunlop, Cimiterie Montparnasse

Day 19 11/4 election day! I slept until noon today, uncharacteristically. Really not feeling well – achey and sore and coldy. I remember some funny things from my dreams – at one point, Erin Jones had purchased a bicycle that was pink and covered in Barbie doll-themed decorations, like a little girl’s bike but adult-sized. Decided to stay in and watch tv all day to track every election detail. Stayed up all night with Kristina and cnn, dozing off occasionally and truly waking up for Obama’s speech. Ohio was the moment I felt sure he would clinch. All of the footage (and many subsequent reports from friends who were present) at Grant Park was so invigorating and positive. I felt swept up in the zeitgeist & optimism, and though obviously I am still cynical about many aspects of Obama’s record and intentions this is such an exciting time. Makes it harder to be away from Chicago. During these recent travels in Europe I feel more proud to tell people that I am from Chicago than I ever have before – although it is the most superficial of interactions, I feel so pleased that now people typically reply “Obama!” rather than “Al Capone” when I say the word “Chicago.” Although a crepe-making man asked me, post-election, if I was carrying a gun when I told him I came from Chicago. Read a recent article in a UK paper in which many prominent black politicians there stated they felt there was no way a person of color would be elected PM during their lifetimes and saw Paris graffiti reading “A quand un Obama ici?”

Day 20 11/5 slept in something awful of course, having stayed up past 6am. Saw cimiterie montparnasse, located just a few blocks from our place. Lots of romance there – tombs of De Beauvoir & Sartre, Juliet & Man Ray, Cortazar & Dunlop – that one really got to me. If you haven’t read their “Autonauts of the Cosmoroute,” I advise you to change that toute suite! That night, K and I saw the new James Bond movie at a large cineplex in our neighborhood. The theatre was enormous and packed, lively. A tall teenage boy walked up and down the aisles of the theatre, selling popcorn and sodas a la a cigarette girl. Although such movies are not usually my cup of tea, it was pretty enjoyable – not too long! And I somehow like the weird new bond theme song by jack white and alicia keys. Mostly it was fun to read the French subtitles and compare with the English dialogue.

Paris II

2008-11-21T18:34:00.000-06:00

sky over the Seine

Day 18, 11/3 After getting a late start, we headed up to the largest flea market in Paris, Les Puces, at Clingancourt, and wandered a long time. Mostly upscale antique stalls with some vintage clothing and sections of knock-off designer jeans and sneakers for the kids. I saw a beautiful pair of chanel pumps that were my size, but didn’t bother to even ask the price. Then we metroed down to the Eiffel tower, we came up from the subway pretty much directly under it, it seemed surreal and also anticlimactic. But we walked farther away from it, in the park, and got some good views as the sun set. The overall scrubby and frankly ugly look of the area surrounding the Eiffel tower surprised me. But it was nice to see, it’s such an iconic and truly weird structure. We walked a long time after that, down the Seine and saw the Grand Palais and Petit Palais and wandered through the tuileries for awhile, but it was completely dark by then. We stopped in to check out Harry’s New York bar – expat bar that has been holding their own straw polls for US pres elections since 1924. They also hold election night events. We walked in, the bar was tiny and a man with a huge TV camera was interviewing an American dude right by the door. The cocktails were pricey so we decided to just split, it seemed like it would be a good party place to stay up all night waiting for election results but the bar itself was super small, and we had heard that 300 people showed up their last election night! We headed to dinner at a place called Le Victoire Supreme du Coeur, a splurge meal, K’s mushroom loaf with blackberry sauce was incredible and my “Sorry Jose” burger sounded better on the menu…but it was still good. I started to feel feverish and not so great again during dinner.

Paris I

2008-11-21T18:22:00.000-06:00

ready to cook for the first time in weeks!

Day 17, 11/2 Mercifully left grimefactory Friends Hostel not a moment too soon. We headed to our neighborhood, Montparnasse, and walked down the delightful Rue Daguerre, lined with outdoor food stands and sweet produce markets and cafes. Found our building, then walked back a block to a corner bakery and ate citron tartelette (me) and ham quiche (K). Met myriam at our place, she was a kook, the apt. was delightful, bigger than I thought, has a washer dryer and dishwasher, fully stocked with cooking staples, cleaning supplies, sheets and towels. We did loads of laundry and lunched at a little Chinese restaurant and bought groceries! We cooked a nice red curry for dinner and set up our things. It felt so so good to have a quasi-permanent place to call home. We drank wine and beer and I got pretty tips and went to sleep on the pull out couch bed which is horribly bowed in the center, so I slept poorly again.

more Roma

2008-11-19T15:02:00.000-06:00

traditional Sicilian pastries!

Day 14, 10/30 Went to the Vatican today, took over 7 hours. It was amazing to see the Sistine Chapel, interesting to see the gross opulence and elitism, and cool to see the Vatican’s diverse collection of modern art that I did not know about. Mostly it was just massive and overwhelming and exhausting in its scope – the Vatican museum includes rooms upon rooms of haphazardly presented historical articles, from busts and early maps to ceramic swans from the 1970s? We went to chill out awhile back at the hotel, then walked to a sushi place which turned out to be very expensive, so we went to a Napoli restaurant we saw while walking – they offered a delicious antipasti bar with piles of wonderful roasted & sautéed veg. After dinner, we walk to Dagnino, a legendary and spectacular Sicilian dessert place, we arrived just before their 11pm closing time. I got a cannolli and a beautiful tartlette. The woman behind the counter wrapped our packages in customized blue and white printed paper and wrapped a blue curling ribbon around them. We brought them back to our hotel room, took food porn pics of them, and ate some, saving some for the next day.

Day 15, 10/31 Our hotel’s pitiful breakfast urged us to try Beehive’s breakfast. We saw both the Florida girls and Damian again..this time we both immediately realize that Damian is gay..didn't pick up on that before for some reason. We got really nice French toast for breakfast, then headed to Trastevere, a quaint neighborhood across the tiber, and wandered until we found the botanical gardens, which were lovely – gigantic aloe and cacti, ponds with ducks and koi, a bamboo field, an aroma garden. When we were through with that neighborhood we went to rest up and eat doner before heading out to a hipster “Halloween” party at a nearby club – apparently Pete Doherty sometimes stops in this place to dj. Kristina was not into wearing costumes and we obvs had limited resources, so I just wore a fierce outfit but not really a costume. We waited in line, then when we got in realized that the club was just opening. Paid 8 euro cover which included one 8 euro cocktail (what is the point?) and requested pulp, which blew up the dancefloor when the dj put it on. Got drunk, chatted a lot, saw ugly Italian dudes making out with cute Italian girls against the wall, fended off dudes’ stupid advances and brazen requests for cigarettes, walked back at 3am. It was a good time but only saw maybe 5-7 people in any sort of costumes. I felt sad to miss the normal at-home Halloween festivities of costumes and pumpkin carving, but hey, worthwhile tradeoff this once.

Day 16, 11/1 Woke up from sleeping twisted upside down in bed and very hung over, we had to check out at 11am. Our flight to Paris wasn’t until 7pm, so we stowed our luggage and ate incredible fast food noodles in the lower level of the train station, then went to MACRO, the contemporary art museum and saw a large multi-sensory installation by Ernesto Neto. Walked to the nearby Borghese Villa which is the only intact former aristocratic villa, it is now Rome’s answer to Central Park. It was pretty and we sat near a cat that looked a lot like Frog, she was begging for food from a lunching Italian family. We got the metro back to the train station, grabbed our bags from the hotel and got the train to the airport. No flight problems. Got into Paris after 9pm and went directly to hellhole hostel, where we had to spend one night because we couldn’t get into our apt. until the following day. The room was a tiny cramped dorm, with, mercifully a private bathroom and our 2 roommates were sweet young American girls…also very lucky. But the place was just beyond shabby and grimy and my bedsheet was made of plastic and I slept horribly.