Aerial Dance

Didn't post yesterday. I got distracted during my usual blog time.

Of late I have been on an alt-theatre kick. So instead of a more usual kind of play, I drove past Wicker Park to see Aloft Loft's Ghost Stories. It was a collaboration with Strange Tree. About the grizzly tales of 7 Dead Brides. The drama was less than fabulous, but I loved the aerial dance part. Trapeze acts, silks, whatnot. All in a tricked out garage.

Which is when I decided that I want to learn Silks. Like big lycra trapeze hammock. Spinning and flipping and climbing. I am nowhere near in the right shape to start, but now I am motivated. Looks incredible.

And a different flavor of aerial was me nearly being blown down Michigan Avenue. It was gorgeous outside, nearly 70, so after work, I walked around the park and enjoyed the lingering sunlight and t-shirt weather. The final hoorah before I perma-bundle.

Seeing Argonautika next Tuesday, hopefully. The Mary Zimmerman production at Lookingglass.

on iTunes: Elliott Smith - "Rose Parade"

Out and about

Much to my delight, it was absolutely stunning when I woke up this morning at 9AM! Outside my window, the leaves were bright yellow, the sky bright blue, and everything else generally bright. I almost felt guilty for burrowing back down into my sheets. Until I remembered the time change! Woo! Making it wholly acceptable to loll in bed, because what was I going to do with myself at 8AM on a Sunday?! Like having your cake and eating it too.

I puttered and lolled in the morning, before committing to spending the day out. I strolled around Lincoln Park Zoo with zero agenda, watching the OCD caged cats, the penguins (!) and small children. Wandered into the conservatory where I got a little picture happy. I think I like flowers because they are easy. They don't protest or grimace or dart (like those penguins). And the light filtering through the glass roof was a nice effect.









To sate a 2 week craving, I went to RJ Grunts and had a cheeseburger. And my what a fine burger it was. Like splurting and messy good. I opted against the pumpking blue moon in the interest of time. But it was funny, chowing down on a messy burger, at the bar, watching the Bears game. There is a certain air of disbelieve and giddy in Chi-town regarding the Bears now 7-0 record. It almost makes me care about sports. But not quite.

Took the #22 down to Daley Plaza to watch the Midnight Circus performance as part of Chicagoween. Lots of balancing, due to the small space. But they had a bunch of cute Asian 7-year olds in shimmery body suits and braids, as "spiders" or contortionists.


Ducked out the show a little early to wander down to the ArchiCenter to catch a tour of Historic Skyscrapers. I figured it was one of the last days I would actually mind being outside for any length of time, and I had been meaning to admire some architecture. Very cool. From Beaux Arts to Art Deco. Looked at the Field Building, the Fisher Building, Rookery, etc. And our tour guide explained all the postmodern in-jokes of the Harold Washington Library.

I got some serious touron-on, but it was fun. I love being in the city, which is still a manageable size. And it was arguably one of the nicest days (weatherwise) since I have been in Chicago.

tunage: Proclaimers - "I Would Walk (500 Miles)"

I feel old.

Woke up this morning to two surprises.

1. It's actually sunny and gorgeous out, instead of the more typical misty.
2. For a moment I thought I was back in high school.

Realization 1 was a bit of a disappointment because I have to spend my day in a quiet office, apparently screwing things up. I think my brain is protesting. Or perhaps the space cadet just inhabits my brain on Saturdays. It's unfortunate.

Realization 2 was a bit more complicated. I knew all the songs on the radio, loved it. Then I heard the chilling announcement: All 90s weekend. Ack. The music I routinely like and relate to has been relegated to promotional weekend programming. I listened a bit more closely, and I heard music I carpooled to high school with. Music I learned to drive to. Music I learned to dance to. Music I listened to in dorm rooms. Music that is evocative and familiar, when I first became acquainted with music. Am I really so old that my music is OLDIES?

Add that to my conversation with the Cheese Fiend regarding W&M Homecoming and 5 Year Reunions. Or perhaps even scarier, 10 year High School Reunions.

I had largely accepted the whole "friends getting married and having babies and buying houses" and such, mostly because a) it happened pretty early and b) it was happening to them and not me. Admittedly, still not happening to me (no complaints) but still weird.

Oh well. I am giving into my antiquity and listening to the station at work. And it's kinda fun to hear songs I forgot about, like the Sunscreen Song. Although I could definitely live without the early 90s stuff (who really needs a reminder of junior high? Not me.)

currently: PM Dawn - "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss"

Beltway baby

For someone who grew up inside the Beltway, even I was impressed by the level of traffic bullshit in Chicago.

I had to be at my teaching gig on the Southside early. And the weather was crappy, cold and rainy, very not conducive to public transit. So I decided to drive. Mistake number 1. Because I thought it would be more time and cost-effective. Mistake 2. And I took Mapquest's advice to take the Dan Ryan Expressway. (Big) Mistake 3.

Mapquest said it would take 20 minutes. I allowed an hour. Which is funny, since it took me 90. Severely uncool. By comparison, catching a series of buses and trains (which are on different payment systems) takes about 70 minutes. I mean, I have gotten used to the fact that getting from point A to B, unless it involves walking less than .5 mile, ideally not involving major intersections takes longer than it should and is a huge pain in the ass. Why do you think I live within blocks of where I work?!

Because of the midwestern concept of Express (by which I mean the local lanes were travelling faster than us on the Express), I was 30 minutes late for my class. I felt like an ass. I also probably took 2 years off my life yelling at all the stupid around me (buses that seem to think my bumper is negotiable, construction in random places, dumb bitches on cell phones, people who don't understand stop signs, pokey pedestrians, the list goes on.) But I do make the most interesting noises when they don't completely form expletives and general curses. Completely draining in both directions.

Lesson learned. Take public transit and hate it.

But at least my Wonderfalls DVDs arrived today!

And for a random gem, courtesy of Tim Gunn:
"Aside from looking as though she's just been dragged out from under a truck that tried to run her over, she always looks like she's in need of personal hygiene," Gunn blasts to Us. "The whole package to me is just repugnant. Ugh!"

Ah.

on iTunes: Foo Fighters - "The One"

Here Comes the Rain ... Again

I live across from a lovely park, inviting me to jog around it, to enjoy its urban oasis thing. And I actually seriously entertained the idea of tying on the sneaks and trying it today. Except that it is raining. Again. And the only thing worse than running in the cold would be running in the cold and wet. But I figure Mother Nature is trying to tell me something, because Chicago has experienced its coldest and wettest October on record. Which largely sucks (we've seen some flurries, I had to break out the coat, and the umbrella). But at least it's not just me.

Besides, it's not like I am a jogger. I don't actually like running, so I can't say I am overly broken hearted. If I am going to do something fast, I am going to samba. Although I am trying to get moving indoors. Pushups/situps during commercials. Which really motivates me to watch more movies, but hey.

And here is some random:
Why are wines called varietals? What is wrong with varieties? What makes wine so damn special? Oh wait, I remember, the people who make it and sell it are the same people who use dumb words like "varietal".

And along a similar alcohol-infused vein:
"Excuse me. Can I get a real bottle? I'm an alcoholic, not a Barbie Doll." - from the new movie Mr. Woodcock

on iTunes: KT Tunstall - "Other Side of the World"

Crumbling Tower

As a sign of the times, with the ubiquitous mp3 players and subscriptions to Netflix, old school music stores are falling by the wayside. Tower Records recently announced that it was closing (at least its Chicago locations). This is sad. I remember being in high school and hitting the Tower to feel cool and get more interesting music. And now I have to go into the city to get my HotTix.

However, being the bargain vulture I am, I decided go to the Clark Street location to see what I could find. And I was completely blown away by the selection of CDs (organized by more genres than Rock and Classical - I mean, they distinguished between Ambient and Dance!) and DVDs. I was also blown away by the prices. And not the "gobble up these bargains" prices. The "no wonder Tower is going out of business" prices. Even with the 20% "everything must go" discount, I am STILL paying less for these DVDs online or at Target. Why would I pay $35 for Kinsey? Good movie. Not $35 just to peel the Tower sticker off.

And they didn't have Wonderfalls anyways. Good thing I bought it online! And if you are patient enough, the shipping is free too from deepdiscountdvds.com.

No iTunes. Catching some Daily Show.

I can be domestic!

So it is a rarity bordering on aberration, but I cooked tonight. Not only did I cook a dinner for me tonight, but I prepped meals for the week. That part definitely never happens.

Since only the big pack of chicken tits were on sale, it was variations on the theme of chicken. Which is lucky, since that is pretty much the extent of my repetoire, unless you count pasta and stuff that comes out of a box.

Tonight: pan-friend chicken with spices, baked sweet potato and green beans! (which i managed not to burn or catch on fire.)

I prepped apples for a curry dish with couscous, and yes, more chicken. And curried chicken salad.

My shelf in the fridge looks so full. Of real food.

And while I cooked, I did some iChat and played some tunage. But Ernie the Fat Pug did not find my grooving to Humpty Dance amusing.

Later, while mauling, er... delicately enjoying the sumptuous meal I fixed, I was reading an article in WSJ that made me kind of annoyed. Well, so annoyed that I couldn't finish the article. About parents who take their infants (not children, infants in diapers whose ages are still measured in months rather than years) to see psychiatrists. As if they would be able to head off depression or anxiety at that age. The only anxiety I see here is parental. I mean, these babies don't understand basic language or relationships, I don't think they are going to really benefit from psychiatry. Besides, these parents haven't had enough time to truly screw the kids up...
(the slate article linked here)

on iTunes: Digital Underground - "Humpty Dance"

Marathon madness

Yesterday, the streets of Chicago were clogged with nearly 35,000 runners for the Marathon. I avoided it like the plague.

Marathoning is like a cult. People training can't find anything else to talk about, the virtues of challenging yourself, and running for a higher cause. I think it's crap. Why would any sane person voluntarily run 26 miles, and pay $90 for the privilege of doing so in misty 40 degree weather, crowded along with thousands of others? I just don't get it. The only reason the marathon was run in the first place was because Ancient Greece was not so up on the combustion engine. And we all remember what happened to that guy, don't we?

But one of the big controversies of the marathon is the idea of "banditing". Banditing: running in any or all of the marathon without paying the entrance fee. Is it fair for people to run? Is it safe? I guess people use the Chicago marathon to "train" for other events. And some people run the last leg along with a friend to support them as they debate the merits of giving in to the bodily desire to die in the streets of Chicago. Some pro-marathoners get very upset at the idea of these people using valuable Gatorade they didn't pay $90 for. That's some damn pricey Gatorade. Others argue it is unsafe. Those of a more subversive bent recommend deliberately banditing to protest the exorbitant fee.

The guy, a Kenyan, basically slid into the finish line. Skidded on a discarded number tag., but since he skidded forward, he won. Conked his head really good. They blamed his disorientation on the head injury. I blame it on the madness involved in marathon running. I mean, how do you run 26 miles in 2 hours and 7 minutes?

Theatre Tidbits

For a Sunday, today was pretty productive, especially in the theatre department.

I got up early (9.30) to make sure I was not receiving my wake-up call from the cable guy again. Because even after 3 visits the month, apparently not all of the cable can work at the same time. Got up early, no slacker mass for me!

Snow Queen workshop was mostly a jam session, as Michael Smith, the playwright/composer, worked with the musicians and 3 actors. It's terribly cleverly written, and after a presentation by one of the artist-designers, the production will be visually stunning. Revolve, scrolls, puppets!! Almost the complete opposite of the current play in the same space. And I am very excited about Snow Queen, because the director is supposed to be absolutely brilliant and innovative. And very well-connected...

I had to leave from the workshop early so that I could get half-price tickets at the Goodman for Vigils, Noah Haidle's new play. Mission accomplished! $10 for professional theatre.

The Goodman reminds me of the LiveArts DownStage, with an extra tier. Even on the mezzanine, I had a great seat.

Vigils - apparently a bit of a sequel to Mr. Marmalade. If he wrote Mr. Marmalade for his girlfriend, this was in response to her leaving him. Not quite as well-paced as Mr. Marmalade, but interesting. About a woman whose husband died 2 years ago, but she refuses to let go. With a healthy dose of chaos.


But as I was waiting for the show to start, I was amused to hear the people next to me talking about Denmark. And they really got it! I had to prevent myself from telling them I worked on it. I got my landlady tickets for the show today, and she just raved about the show and the space. It was great to get that kind of response, especially for such a cerebral drama.

Chicago Tribune review of Denmark.

And just to confirm that Chicago is my kind of city - every so often you get a whiff of the chocolate factory. Dreamy and torturous all at once. But not to be confused with the Chicago Chocolate Factory where Cheese Fiend and I had amazing food, served up by a cute boy who fed us lots of free goodies.

More workshop tomorrow, and maybe a script review. (unless I give in and read Anansi Boys instead).

on iTunes: "The More You Ruv Someone" - Avenue Q

Breakfast options

I got the hardest part of my day out of the way at 8.30AM.

I had to eat crow for breakfast. Not tasty, but at least it was a small dose, rather than the whole bird, bones and all. I had to apologize to the 5th grade teacher I rather abandoned by quitting a teaching gig. Alright, I am a total git for accepting the job, then backing out, but after extensive time with my lack of paychecks and a calculator, I determined that there is no way I could afford to both teach AND stay in Chicago at the same time.

But since I was up early, I stopped by the farmers market. Where I sampled some amazingly smooth maple coffee. And unlike most of my other coffee experiences, this coffee did not involve copious amounts of sugar and cream to make it unrecognizably coffee. No burned beans!

And in the spirit of this blog, I had a muffin for breakfast. "Morning Mix" which was covered in yummy nuts, and filled with carrot, raisin, zucchini, oats, coconuts, etc. As the guy put it - the kitchen sink. Sadly, I devoured the muffin before I could take a picture.

no iTunes: watching Sliding Doors. Which is largely redeemed from its Gweneth Paltrow-ness by John Hannah (the gay guy from 4 Weddings).

Space Cadet

Today I have been suffering from major mental fog. While it is probably entertaining for others around me, it's pretty bad. Especially with the prevalence of rotating doors. So it has been a little difficult to stay on task, finding the Chinese restaraunt DIRECTLY across the street (like I had a visual from my desk before I left), not getting caught in doors, or walking into people who actually REMEMBER where they are going.

But whoopee pies are AWESOME!

on iTunes: OAR - "Crazy Game of Poker"

Metra Mellow

Once a week I co-teach a dance class to 6th graders on the Southside. The teaching is an interesting project, as most of these kids are just on the verge of hormones, and definitely out of any attention span or focus by 4PM. We are working on swing, which they are actually pretty good at when they can manage to stop running their mouths for more than 20 seconds.

But in order to get to the school, I have to commute an hour. Including a trip on Metra, which is the light rail, not to be confused with the El, or the god-forsaken Bus.

And there is something about riding the metra that just zones me. Metra naps are quite nice, except for the inevitable "waking in a panic that you missed your stop". Maybe it is conditioning from sleeping on so many trains while in Europe, or it's just a low-energy moment and the Pavlovian response to gentle movement and clicking. But even if I don't doze, my mind just shuts down. Watching the tracks. Like a mental pacifier.

Which is good, because there is nothing to look at. The seats are throwbacks from when gold and orange seemed like good fashion sense. And the windows are tinted such that any bright, warm day looks bleak and cold.

Sorry I don't have any pictures, but you're not missing much.

on iTunes: Alana Davis - "Can't Find My Way Home"

Cosmic Muffin apology

Today started inauspiciously, as the bus schedule tried to eat my soul by making me late for a job, despite my best efforts at being conscientious or early.

But after work, I wandered into my local White Hen Pantry to get some coffee. And to my great surprise and delight, they not only had the Pumpkin faux-cacino I love, but they had it on special. Great big cup for not more than a dollar!

I don't know why I have been on a major Pumpkin kick, but having the White Hen so close, is terribly nice. And not just for my pumpkin faux-cacino needs, but any junk food vice I need to sate at any hour of the night. Ah.

And may I just compliment White Hen on their excellent coffee lids. None of the tear-back crap-plastic ones. No. This is the Traveler, complete with a tab you slide to open/close the coffee hole. It's little things like this that brighten my day. And prevent me from wearing my hot beverage.

On iTunes: Tribe Called Quest - "Scenario" (ah, shuffle)

Aquarium

I failed to mention:

Why does walking around an aquarium make me crave fish and chips? And what sort of hell is reserved for me for thinking that?

Free Days

Mondays and Tuesdays are Free Days at the cool museums. And conveniently, Mondays tend to be my day off. And as luck would have it, so was this Tuesday.

On my agenda for today: snap a photo of the Hans Christian Andersen statue in Lincoln Park for the newsletter. Head downtown to the Museum Campus.

After a night of pouring rain, it was impressively pleasant out today. So I was tempted to spend all day in the zoo. But I can do that any day for free, versus having to pony up cash for the other museums. And since the Zoo is so close, I can do it without setting aside a lot of time. So I took a bunch of lovely pictures of a statue near the carousel which turned out NOT to be the statue in question.

Which is a bummer, since the real HCA statue is not quite as lovely.


I did walk through the primate house. Couldn't resist. Dodging kindergartners who were just making the gibbons hyper. Including one guy who was missing an arm. But that didn't slow him down. Truly amazing how fluidly and quickly they move.

Took the bus(es) down to the Museum Campus. Dropped the original plan of the Field Museum, and opted for the Shedd Aquarium instead. Very cool and PC. Lots on info on invasive species and a cool turtle puppet. Unfortunately free day limits you to the aquarium proper, so I will have to go back and pay real money to see the oceanarium, which involves penguins!

After the aquarium and a quick snack, I headed back to the Adler Planetarium, which I started on another free day. Went into the Atwood Sphere, which dates back to 1913 as the first walk-in planetarium. Pretty cool in the old-fashioned way. Decided to leave when I kept going through exhibits backwards.

Still hacking away at my Chicago to-do list.

Music du jour: Spoon - "That's the Way We Get By"

Director of First Impressions

I have been meaning to start a blog since I moved to Chicago, but am just getting around to it how. So if I am backtracking, I apologize. I just want to share the cool stuff I have done, however belatedly.

In the meantime, check out my flickr site!