Still Medium

embed test!

2010-11-02T11:45:00.001-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

lake michigan from above

2010-08-17T00:41:00.004-04:00

On my flight back to Grand Rapids from from Dallas last night, my little commuter plane came directly upon Lake Michigan from the south at dusk. First I noticed the lake, then that I could see both its west and east coasts, then that I could see South Bend, then that I could see the Chicago grid, then that I could see both St. Joe & BHarbs with the St. Joseph river squiggling between 'em and sidewinding way down through south Berrien, and then that I could see all these things at once. Finally I noted Lake Saugatuck (Douglas?) & the Kalamazoo river before drifting back to US Weekly or whatever. Pretty!

so many factors!

2010-08-09T10:58:00.003-04:00

i'm blaming my 06.15 - 07.15 240 kwh use on my new/temporary roommate matt (who moved in right around mid-june), but wonder if this is excessively high for a one-bedroom apartment without air conditioning and whose occupants usually leave over the weekend. i'm thinking my refrigerator might be the biggest culprit. pls advise.

2010-03-09T10:54:00.010-05:00

Currently enjoying the Gorillaz'szsz "Plastic Beach" while editing. Holla.

It does NOT look like this from my window anymore, and thank goodness for that.

Seen in the D Yesterday

2009-11-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

SwMich!

2009-09-11T15:50:00.009-04:00

Dear friends,

I took a job in bHarbs and will be moving there in approx. 2 weeks. I don't know anyone within an approximate 30-mile radius, which is a bummer, so I've made some plans to keep things awesome on the glistening beaches of SW Michigan. One involves compiling a list of 52ish week-long goals/tasks/occupations that will keep me busy through October 2010. So far I have 3/52 = (1) finish painting/reassembling my bike, (2) watch all of The West Wing, and (3) travel to either Shanghai or Buenos for a couple weeks once I've accrued some vacation time. I've also got some more long-term plans, i.e. (1) take guitar lessons, and (2) join a beach volleyball team. Any additions to either of these lists will be wildly appreciated. Pls contribute. Cheers.

Blavatar, Vlavatar

2009-08-31T18:56:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been vlogging, but I decided to remove the link. Try to find it if you cannnnnn.

Hamilton Beach!

2009-07-28T13:12:00.002-04:00

Things I have blended in my new blender:

(1) smoothie upon smoothie
(2) iced coffee
(3) garlicky hummus

Rejection, Muskrats wearing Cat Masks

2009-07-09T11:24:00.003-04:00

A set of friends (Nathan, Caitlin, Patrick) and I have started documenting our respective/collective job searches on our homemade whiteboard. Called "The [ ]hiteboard" or "Wall of Rejection", it displays lists of places we've applied; documents interviews, fade-outs/no-responses/empty sets; and acts as a gallery for tangbile rejection letters (so far we have only two--email seems to be the rejection m.o. in these economic times). So far I feel good about it. Maybe we'll have a party when we hit a big figure, i.e. 30 rejections (so far we're at 16) or 75 applications (currently at 45). So far I've applied to the fewest jobs, but have the highest interview:application ratio (3:8), so I'm feeling good(ish) about things. There are planning jobs out there, I swear it--we'll all be gainfully employed, or at least close to it, by the end of August.

I took Mao to the groomer's for a Lion Cut on Monday (see it here!). He's so far garnered at least four new nicknames: Muskrat, Brook Trout, Tiny Lion, Possum. I expect more to develop.

Manifest Destiny, Etc.

2009-06-22T08:56:00.006-04:00

Once, in early June of '09, I junketed to the west coast. With Sacramento as a home base, Nathan, Patrick, sundry others (we kept trading off respective sets of friends), and I blitzed up to Portland, back down to San Fran through Davis, up to Berkeley, over to Oakland, and then finally through Santa Cruz before returning to Sac and ending our travels. Each city was unique, but I think I got a decent sense of a general west-coast ethos/lifestyle/whatnot: (somewhat) relaxed, chosen, and relatively independent of the other 49 estados. Some superlatives: I most liked meeting Portlanders, watching San Franciscans, enjoying the arid sunny climes of Sacramento, admiring the gardens in Berkeley, and feeling the morning haze burn off into a glorious, mild afternoon in Santa Cruz. Take me back!

Lasers!

2009-03-19T12:08:00.003-04:00

The pickled beets (last post) were delicious, but too sweet.

Lately, the architecture/urban planning listserv has been peppered with emails about the program's newly acquired laser cutters. I can't imagine having to use one myself, but due to frequent stream of emails I now feel pretty knowledgeable about their quirks (overheating, shorting out, etc.). A word cloud and some facts:

* total emails about laser cutters (past 30 days): 8
* email frequency rate (average days between emails): 3.75
* total instances of 'laser(s)': 21
* average 'laser(s)' per email: 2.63
* total instances of 'tutorial(s)': 13
* total instances of 'sign-up/out': 13
* total instances of 'fablab' (administrative entity sending emails): 8

beety & delicious

2009-02-08T18:57:00.004-05:00

In an attempt to get rid of a head of red cabbage I [accidentally?] purchased last week, I've been eating a lot of ad hoc stir fries lately. Tonight's was especially delicious: onion, garlic, pickled ginger, cabbage, carrots, beets, tomatoes, tofu & rice. Victorious (the cabbage is almost gond!), I've found myself with about five lbs of beets to dispose of; no idearrrr how that's gonna happen. Maybe I'll pickle some of 'em (I didn't realize it was so easy!).

I've been reading HTWFAIP for a policy class, and it's a pretty entertaining go-round: lots of common sense instructions, advice on how to treat my wife, and quaint anecdotes. Bonus: my book was published in 1936, weighs about 0.0037 oz, and every page tears immediately upon use.

Strange Overtones

2009-01-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

I can't stop:

Hello Blog

2009-01-20T00:38:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile, but my muse is gone. Gone gone gone. [update: with the new Animal Collective album and a little help from Byrne & Eno, it's back on some level.] Blam. Pow. A lot has happened since October '08's glorious Nica trip. Some snippets, in no particular order:

(a) My roommates and I created a whiteboard and painted one dining room wall a glorious orange (15 years of pumpkin pleasure). Quote from the Scio township Lowe's paint mixer as he opened the freshly mixed can for the first time: "and a roar goes up from the crowd as the pleasure pumpkin is revealed." It was a beautiful moment.

(b) I spent a glorious Thanksgiving in NYC (blitz round two), and then a month later enjoyed a kinda bizarre New Year's and winter break on the east coast: Dave, Chris and I drove from TC to NYC, I bussed to DC for New Year's celebrations, was chauffeured up to Baltimore a few days later, and then flew back to the Detroit area. I enjoyed my red hot second in NYC, saw more of DC than ever before, and was taken with parts of Baltimore. Some hitches: (1) all of my clothing minus that on my back was stolen on the way to DC. Fortunately Jess was kind enough to outfit me for the rest of my travels, with some supplemental intimates from Macy's; (2) my Baltimorean host, known to some as "Bunny", became violently ill on day 2 of my visit and I spent most of the day watching a (kind of boring) Ravens victory and lounging with borrowed parents.

(c) School's back in session. I'm excited about all my classes and capstone project, and am set to graduate in May. Future plans TBD, but be assured that they will include planning the pants off of some urbans, somewhere.

(d) We have a new prez. I keep forgetting!

(e) A set of friends and housemates traveled to Chicago this past weekend to visit a handful of Chicago residents. Parts of the weekend were chill, and parts were less so. A summary of locations and scenarios: delicious Thai Pastry, an amazing breakfast at Leen's corner diner, Special Export, stretching on air mattresses, hot water bottles, a round of Celebrity, the Green Mill at 2:30 a.m., Sabertooth (the band), boiling in the Phoenix Lounge, and some Obama-approved soul food. It was a relatively awesome trip, and a great way to kick off the semester.

Enough for now. It's good to be back, intermittently.

Best Taxi Ride Ever?

2008-10-23T01:38:00.005-04:00

The picture above documents a taxi ride my Nicaragua travel fellows and I shared from Rivas to Bahia Majagual (more or less) in the SW of Nica. Beginning at 6:30/7:00 a.m. and lasting through close to 9:00, the ride provided nonstop entertainment including but not limited to some brazenly blasted "Take My Breath Away", a necessary nescafe/coca-light stop, some Foreigner, a demi-size steering wheel built for the racetrack, a tinted windshield, accusations of 7:00 a.m. rum drinking, a satisfying banana/lime/rum/gallo pinto stop, many a perilous road crossing (resulting once in complete rutting-out, which required at least 6 Nicaraguan caballeros to push 'er through the slick mud) and a river drop-off. Nicaragua: bless.

respite, escuela, detroit, nica, etc

2008-10-09T16:38:00.003-04:00

Last night, instead of doing some pre-Nicaragua* studying, I blitzed to see ze Baltimore Round Robin's "eyes night" at the MOCAD. The concept sounded a little wacky and certainly interesting, both of which it was. It was also nice on the eyes and, at times, really quite good. Post-dusk trips to Detroit have underpinned the semester's regular goings-on --> Greektown, a trip on the people mover, and sigur rós at the State/Fillmore were all amazing a few weeks back.

*I'm heading so Nica with some dear friends from the 16th through the 22nd of this month. Un nuevo traje de swimmin' just arrived in the mail and I'm ready to go; bring it Manags,.

Things About Chicago

2008-08-14T22:50:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, in Chicago, I really miss things like O2-saturated air and hills. On the flip side, there are certain peerless joys here, like the portion of my commute (if I choose to do it on bike) that takes me past Blommer's, which is consistently and tantalizingly aromatic.

Australly Inclined

2008-08-07T00:20:00.003-04:00

The south side is really growing on me, friends. A number of work- and frisbee-related ventures have brought me down as far as 103rd (the 103rd street bus garage: exempt from my affections) this summer, though the usual destination is Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 55th (Washington Park) for summertime ultimate.Blitzing down Michigan from 33rd is rapidly turning into one of my favorite bicycle stretches in the city; the traffic is sparse, the old growth is luscious, the loitering is plentiful, some of the houses are incredibly beautiful; in general, the vibe is cool. Blitzing back up north to Danielle's, where I'm staying now and for the next 2 weeks, is less enjoyable, especially when the trip comes with a coupling of (1) serious tornado-like activity in the vicinity & (2) torrential downpours. This sound along with some other eerie noises cut my ride tragically short on Monday, and I was forced to cower in a corner under the freeway on 26th until I felt safe enough to dart to the nearest bus. Bless the summer fun pass and quick-drying orange shorts!

I'm So Thirsty

2008-07-24T00:56:00.001-04:00

Urban Detox, anybody? Yes, please.

Travels Down 94

2008-07-15T09:45:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was a confusing one in Ann Arbor; ah, the highs and lows of returning to the motherland. Mainly, a pulled muscle in my neck (Source: Epic bike ride #1 to Schiller Park with backward seat post on Monday? Sleeping in the fetal position on the floor that evening? epic bike ride #2 down potholey MLKJr Boulevard to the site of the future Olympic Stadium on Wednesday?) became increasingly more painful over the course of the weekend, and kept me from fulfilling my packing intentions as I'd hoped. That unhappy progression aside, it was simply glorious to blitz through a jungley Arboretum at dusk on Saturday, sit on the porch reading Murakami for the better part of Sunday morning, attend hipster house parties with a nalgene of g&t in hand, see fellow planners, stock up on By The Pound goods, recieve musculoskeletal advice from enCat's visiting dad and sister, and declump/brush/nuzzle large-and-in-charge Maotse (bringing back the hipster spelling for Summer '08) for hours on end.

Finally refreshed after nine hours of bolstered-neck sleeping (yesterday's shockingly early morning car ride, despite layers of Ben Gay, ice, and Patrick Watson blaring through the speakers, paved the way for a pretty uncomfortable day), I am back in Chicags and ready to add to last week's fun., which included hobnobbing with the Mayoral Fellows at the Parthenon, playing wino on the Metra up to see Feist at Ravinia, and cycling to ultimate games all over the city. This week there are movies in the park, Murakami on the porch in lieu of ultimate, and -- this weekend --Sandblast, for which I'll hopefully be able to turn my neck. Holler.

blackbirds, buses: the yuuge

2008-07-08T09:49:00.004-04:00

Yesterday my commute to work was wholeheartedly frustrating. I left Leen's, a mere 3.2 miles away from work, at 7:05 a.m. and arrived in my cubicle over forty minutes later. The trip consisted of two loosely crammed bus rides. Chicago transit riders are consistently selfish about their morning travel space. There are often huge pockets o' room in the back of the bus while those in the passenger-loaded front artfully brace themselves to avoid being thrown through the windshield whenever the operator brakes. Sometimes the operator asks passengers to condense, sometimes not; the effect is usually the same: weak.

Now, at this time last year I would have simply hopped on a bike and ridden to work. But my current, shorter commute is just the length -- long enough to generate a copious sweat, but short enough to in no way constitute a morning's worth of physical activity -- where I'd rather take public transit and avoid a sweaty work arrival. Plus, I'm riding free on a CTA fun pass all summer. So this morning, I opted to bike the 1ish miles to the California green line station, from which it's an alleged six minute (two stop) ride to where I disembark. Perfect, right? I left at 7:30 and was in my chair by 8:01. On the way, however, an angry blackbird at the corner of Rockwell and Grand bombarded my head as I cycled through. While this experience was in no was as harrowing as last month's bat attack (unblogged, but certainly freaky), I am beginning to question what sort of allure it is that I exude toward black winged beasties.

Poncho, Bicycle, Aridity: Trifecta

2008-06-20T21:43:00.001-04:00

At seven a.m. on my way to the train station yesterday I found myself pocketing a CTA summer fun pass, beskirted, besandaled, beponchoed and with a bicycle under-haunch. It felt so right. Even more satisfying, however, was today's blitz past throngs of surprisingly sedate Cubs fans down (up?) Southport with a bag full of popsicles and peanuts after a full week of work. Yessssss.

DA2 Results

2008-06-03T16:04:00.007-04:00

Haaaaa. Apparently this is what I look like at mile 11 of a half marathon: grainy. Regardless, the Dexter-Ann Arbor run was about 3 times more enjoyable than I'd hoped: I had bib number 100, and all my cohorts and I finished solidly under 2 hours (1:56-something). Woo.

Cotton Baller

2008-06-02T10:27:00.004-04:00

The cottonwood tree across the street has been blowing fuzzy little orbs around Adams Ave all week. They manage to nose their way into all possible crannies, only to breeze off in short order. I am a fan.

Traveling Humidity

2008-05-26T10:22:00.002-04:00

After dropping Dave off at the airport this morning I decided I was in the mood for travel. The DTW smelled like what I remembered of Mexico City somehow, and flight seemed inevitable. Disappointingly, eerily empty I94 led me straight back to Ann Arbor. Next time I'm going to Canada instead. Wee.

1/2 Mar Ugh

2008-05-19T11:55:00.002-04:00

Anyone in Ann Arbor on June 1st should come witness the spectacle of at least three Urban Planning grad students, myself included, blitzing through the Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon. After yesterday's trial 12ish mile run (the Huron was so pretty yesterday morning, but owch!) I'm predicting a stupendous outcome. Some committed spectators have revealed plans to drive alongside us with forties in hand, so perhaps you can join them.

Also, I am 2.5 seasons deep into The Wire, and Wallace (deceased) is probably sill my favorite character. But Pearlman and Daniels? I simply cannot support that relationship. The end.

Alone at 123?

2008-05-17T11:39:00.002-04:00

Living in a house of five this year has been interesting. Our kitchen got pretty filthy at times, the living room was an icebox for five straight months, and everyone (party-goers and visiting mothers especially) wreaked havoc on Maoxie's gender-confused emotions. Still, it has been a fairly comfortable living situation, seasoned with plenty of Happy's fried chicken runs, Top Chef marathons, gossip, and hard feline drugs. For today, though, I've got the pool to myself: the roommates are dispersed to northern michigan (2, temporarily), California (1, temporarily) and DC (1, foreverrrrr), and it's shockingly subdued and quiet around here. I guess that's the cue for me to bust out the power sander and cause a ruckus. I started disassembling/sanding my bike for painting about three weeks ago and it's high past time to finish the job.

Van Dyke, God Bless It!

2008-04-24T14:44:00.004-04:00

The semester is over. Hooah. To celebrate after our final final (6 pm on Tuesday) some classmates and I toasted each other with delicious Miller Lite at the Heidelberg, while I, alone, shed some tears regarding the lack of Warren-Michigan-Induced visual stimulation (example below -- Van Dyke Ave just north of Eight Mile) looming in the near future. Doesn't it look like it needs an urban greenway running alongside it? I think so.

Re: summer plans, I'll be in Ann Arbor for the next couple months before blitzing back to sweet Chicago for a coooool internship. Get ready, city.

ain't she a beaut question mark?

2008-04-14T19:59:00.007-04:00

This was the first time, and maybe the last, that I dabbled with Adobe InDesign. It's a black hole, it is. Click for full glory.

finalz timalz

2008-04-13T00:28:00.003-04:00

So Vic Thrill just got me through about an hour of data manipulation, and for that I am thankful.

The roommates and I threw a kick-a** end-of-the-semester party last night. Drifting off to sleep on waves of kegged beer as the hordes continued to dance to old soul faves above my head (my basement bedroom is directly below the dance floor) realllly drove it home in the best way possible. It was like living with Baby and Angel all over again!

Yes!

2008-03-31T09:44:00.003-04:00

Stars was, likkke, totally awesome in Pontiac on Saturday. Torquil (left) was especially angry, Amy (right) was especially sweet, the bass player (not pictured) was especially brooding, and the patrons were especially Canadian.

Mmmmorning

2008-03-14T09:51:00.002-04:00

Maoxie looks so good in the morning. So good!

Oh, the Scale

2008-03-13T21:04:00.001-04:00

Today:

I discovered that Maoxie weighs a disappointing 13.5 lbs. Come ON Maoxie!
Also, I downloaded Camino. Lookout, pals.

Top Ten Mexico

2008-03-07T13:51:00.003-05:00

So, I'd wanted to see the D.F. for quite some time (perhaps ever since Señor Metz's stories back in the late twentieth century), tickets were quite cheap to Mexico, and that's how I ended up there. It happened on the fly, which meant we were seated in the opposite of the best seats on all our flights. The seats are neither here nor there, though. Some highlights, in chronological order:

Flying over the crazy sprawl of Mexico City, and leaving the airport to see citizens (or at least one citizen) wearing long sleeves and scarfs against the sixty-/seventy-degree weather.
Learning that a fellow resident, Byron-Bay born and raised, in our Mexico City hostel grew up up playing with cane toads just as presented in the best Cane Toad movie ever.
Discovering that all museums and bosques in Mexico City are closed on Mondays, but mitigating the tension caused by that discovery with some delicious huaraches.
Viciously burning the backs of my hands on the quite tiring cycle up to the leveled-off top o' Monte Alban (gotta hand it to the Zapotecs), and then realizing that bringing a frisbee up there to enjoy its wide expanses would have been a most excellent move. Next time.
Lazing under the enormous Tree o' Tule, and tasting roasted garlic crickets for the first and probably last time.
Sampling all the worm-ridden Mezcal Oaxaca had to offer, accompanied by questionably ketchup-sodden snacks.
Eating tamales at Oaxaca's 20 de Noviembre mercado twice, and relizing the genius of mole negro during round two.
Flying around Oaxacan mountain curves por bus as described below. I sat next to a mother and daughter for part of this ride, and they smelled so good--like paper mache. The whole experience was very soothing, and I'd do it again for the same $8 in a red hot heartbeat.
Surfing on Playa Zicatela and Carrezalillo. Owch. I liked it, but I can't do it yet. Still, I learned to balance on my board for tens of minutes on end, and quite enjoyed the vibe of just sitting out in the bay, waiting for a wave. Next time I foresee more success.
Enjoying the combination of hammocks, lazing, frisbee on the coast with resident stray dawgies, large jarras of Sol and Corona on the balcony, and everything else that Puerto Escondido (the town, not the movie) had to offer. Ah.

I Hearted Oaxacaa

2008-03-05T04:02:00.003-05:00

de Oaxaca al Puerto Escondido

2008-03-01T15:55:00.003-05:00

The sun is shining brightly in Oaxaca today, and I´ve gotta say that the bus ride from Oaxaca City to the coast was one of the most delightful rides de mi vida. We cruised through three climates and around many mountain curves in a relentless downpour while our amazing bus driver manned the wheel with aplomb. Now it´s off for surfing adventure numero dos. Beautiful.

Al Sur

2008-02-23T18:20:00.003-05:00

12 hours and I'm off to DTW and then Mexico. Plans include, but are far from limited to, a blitz through the ciudad, some stops through Oaxaca, and some lounging near or around Puerto Escondido. Adios for now, SE Mich.

For Yumor's Sake Only

2008-02-17T12:25:00.004-05:00

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. Hmm.

Asian Taste

2008-02-13T11:46:00.005-05:00

After a very galvanizing meeting with a contact for my 505 (Funadmentals of the Planning Practice) project, I'm finding it hard to do much relevant work, and am instead reveling in the splendor of my recently purchased $59.99/lb By The Pound Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls as they unfurl in the slanting, wintry sunlight. Pretty. In other news, Maoxie is currently trying to break into the utility closet, and I don't understand why.

w00t!

2008-02-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

So last night I had this dream about a former student from my school in Tokyo. He was Napoleonic in both disposition and stature, and always wore boots with slightly elevated heels. In the dream he was a nefarious ice-skate thief who chased me around dry land in skates, trying to steal mine for his collection. High drama!

Also, happy birthday yesterday to my mom. Woo.

Poetic Phoenix Drivel, Say?

2008-01-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

"The traveller in his airplane, arriving from Constantinople or Pekin as it may be, suddenly sees appearing through the wavering lines of rivers and patches of forests that clear imprint which marks a city which has grown in accordance with the spirit of man: the mark of the human brain at work. * As twilight falls the glass sky-scrapers seem to flame. * This is no dangerous futurism, a sort of literary dynamite flung violently at the spectator. It is a spectacle organized by an Architecture which uses plastic resources for the modulation of forms seen in light. * A City made for speed is made for success."

~Le Corbusier, The City Tomorrow and Its Planning, 1929

Professor Def and the Watermelons

2008-01-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening Mos Def performed in Hill auditorium under the auspices of Professor Def and the [so delicious and good for you] Watermelons. It was pretty sweet, and he was awarded a visiting professor award (seriously? yes) as part of the MLKDay events schtick. Also, the saxophonist played a keytar (inspiring the conversation to the left, which made me giggle), though there was no hour-long keytar solo. Bummer.

Of Hockey and Brr

2008-01-19T16:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday: a double-Yost blitz, reminiscent (only in its doubleness, I guess) of dim sum days of yore, transpired. Gosh, the writing-style-and-grammar police from my law class last semester would've boiled upon reading that sentence. Anyhoo, first there was noontime public skate, and later, an unfortunate outcome to a very good hockey game. I wore green, though, and gave my fellow attendees an outlet for their cheers, etcetera. So. It was fun, mostly.

Also, why has Atonement gotten such good reviews? I don't think I can get on board.

And I'm Like What the Dude?

2008-01-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Though I have long been (and am trying to remain as such) an R. Kelly non-fan, last night's Trapped in the Closet viewing might have changed me forever. It's a little bit addictive. No, it's, likkkee, super-addictive. I can't wait for the final installments. When will R. Kelly bless us with their presence? I must know!

Obama's (the presidential candidate whose features hold up best in high-resolution, I've decided) showing in Iowa on January 3rd provided for some fun caucus-watching in my house. Get ready for Barack-centric soundtrack including, but not limited to, Obama Over Baghdad, Barack the Casbah and Obama (sung to the universally galvanizing tune of Manilow's Mandy, naturally).

Lastly, our semester started blazingly early this past Thursday, and one class is comprised of what appears to be essentially a semester-long group project dealing with a number of planning-related issues along large chunks of 8 Mile. Members of last semester's stats group (creators of the finest academic power point presentation ever to boast both teeter-totter and milk-carton jpegs) already established the lofty but inspiring goal of implementing a tourist-friendly Obelisk Artisan's workshop at the site of an abandoned bumper-car racecourse. It's going to be awesome!

Happy New Year

2007-12-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

Some excerpts from the Record Eagle's Opinion page today, or maybe just one. I got distracted.

"You would be more than happy to have a police officer with a pizza stain on his shirt answer your call if . . . someone was breaking into your home."

You said it, man. Happy New Year.

SNOW!

2007-12-17T00:57:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the semester and I've dug my car out of the snow at least four times today. Hooray!

Cat Baths, Legal Memos, Downard Dogs

2007-12-13T14:21:00.000-05:00

Six of the seven items that begged completion over the past week are now done begging, and it feels so good.

What feels even better is the sheen of Maoxie's hairs post-Pert-Plus-bath. My roommates wanted to see what he looked like under such a fluffy coat, and because lately he's been rolling around a lot on the floor of our skunky, unfinished laundry room (also, home to my toilet-on-a-platform), I decided it was time to meet the Jake-established annual-bath requirements. Four of us crammed into the upstairs bathroom, I turned on the tap, and immediately claws came out, feline eyes flashed vermilion, and sweet baby Maoxie was reduced to a pile of angry, soggy fur. Post scrubbing, his newly-humbled frame sought out the nearest heating vent and huddled, possum-like, until I wrapped him in a towel and carted him to the warmth of the space heater in my room. After hours of licking and a nuzzling the back of my knees, he seems mostly recovered today, and he smells delicious. Ah, sweet Maoxie.

Also good --> POWER YOGA yesterday -- I am uber-downward-dogged-out, man. P.yog at A2 is definitely my favorite of my non-Bikram yoga adventures thus far, and we get to do inversions, which beginning Bikram doesn't get into. Woo.

I've just squandered 1.5 hours of my law 48-hour-take-home final, so it's time to remedy the harms of that set of poor choices. After some Snood, I think.

Why, Nature, Why?

2007-12-06T03:10:00.001-05:00

ARGH

2007-12-03T20:24:00.001-05:00

Don't think I don't know that this blog is completely awful and lacking in humo(u)r these days. I'm aware. It's painful. Ugh. Blaow. The end.

Brr

2007-11-30T09:45:00.001-05:00

It's so cold. Brr. And after a week of only quasi-efficient time use I'm realizing that the next two are going to require that coupled with solid brain use. Ugh. Twenty-one pages will be written, two assignments will be submitted, two presentations will be given, and two in-clazz exams will be taken. Yikes.

T-Giving in the Mitten

2007-11-26T00:21:00.000-05:00

Prowling through my room at my parents' house for buried treasure, I found an old disk of 2005-era photos from Ayako. Some favorites (I really miss that hat, man):

La Ley

2007-11-19T19:37:00.001-05:00

Ugh. After a blitzy weekend of heading to Chicago and back via one ridiculously pleasant and one relatively less pleasant Megabus ride, I'm back in the basement studying some legal aspects of the planning process as if it may someday be my job. It's surprisingly nice down here now, as today marks the first time I've vacuumed since moving to Ann Arbor. See, only two rooms in the house (mine and the first floor roommate's) are carpeted, and this far we've done our best to ignore the fact that our ancient vacuum lacks function. BUT things got OOC, the buck stopped here, and said fellow carpet-treading roommate borrowed the neighbors' vacuum for our brief use. It's so nice. Just imagine. Maoxie is very pleased.

Now: back to the law. I thought I knew it, but maybe I don't. Ugh.

Gets This

2007-11-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

So Hendricks (from so many ILochen moons ago) is in town for her sister's wedding, and we met up at Sweetwaters on Thursday after I finished work. She currently lives in San Fran and told me lots of stories about hipsters; it was awesome.

Yesterday some first-years organized an Asian potluck, and it was deliciously amazing. Sake was consumed, vegan sushi was crafted, cabbage-laden yakisoba rose like a Phoenix out of my roommate's amazing wok, $5-Buck (so expensive!) Chuck was guzzled, and etc.

Today: Beat Falcons.

POB

2007-11-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

Halloween was a little out of control this year. I got gussied up at least three times, this being the final heave-ho on Nov 2. Here I'm sandwiched between one hipster roommate and one cardboard-eared cat. We're three of the four who traveled up to NW Michigan for fall break and were rehashing some stories at this particular point of the evening, I think.

Yesterday another roommate and I biked out to Dexter and back, stopping to throw the 'bee in one of the Metroparks along the way and riding back to AA with a dozen donuts strapped to ourselves. It was beautiful/idyllic/dappled sunlight/fall. I didn't take pictures, but here's the route:

Purposeful Domination

2007-10-31T18:13:00.000-04:00

My frisbee team won the UM intramural championships. We felt old and cranky.

The Grey Album

2007-10-24T15:55:00.000-04:00

I've quite enjoyed delivering work-related stuffs to downtown Ann Arbor businesses today and over the past week. The city is full of secret corners and musty or luxurious or frightening 2nd and 3rd floor studios, the sky was Octobery today, and the leaves were wet; it was an interesting afternoon of tromping around outside.

The Darjeeling Limited is awesome. Having seen it twice and listened to the soundtrack many more times, I am a citizen expert.

One aspect of college life I really appreciate having the opportunity to re-embrace is that there is always free food around somewheres. Additionally, working for the chamber of commerce yields its own culinary delights. Today's gratis takings: the Earl of Sandwich for lunch and JeRu aka J.Gar AKA J.G. hummus and falafel for supper. Delicious!

Fall Break '07 4 Lyfe

2007-10-16T01:39:00.000-04:00

Today's + tomorrow's holidays from class = Fall Break '07! Thanks, Michigan. To celebrate briefly before this week's onslaught of midterms, some fellow first-years (from Cali, R.I. and Illinois) and I blitzed up north Friday evening for a nonstop Northwestern Michigan Extravaganza. In fifty-five hours we: made & consumed delicious mulled Franzia, ran along West GT Bay, sampled each edible item at Cherry Republic, beveraged at Good Harbor, breakfasted at the Omelette Shoppe, purchased butternut squash and expensive soap at the Farmer's Market, cased the Dunes, tried some lemon squares in Glen Arbor, had bison burgers at Sleder's, imbibed Schlitz Blue Bull and then slept on a houseboat on Lake Charlevoix, experienced the longest breakfast ever at The Alcove, puttered around the Apple Festival, boated on Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix, drank tea in TC, dined at Giovanni's in Interlochen, watched genius high-schoolers do improv and said hi to The Beej at ILochen, and then drove back to AA. It. Was. Amazing. Below: Antics @ Pierce Stocking. Wee.

Away with Boreality

2007-10-08T21:33:00.000-04:00

I spoke with my dean the other day and he informed me I should be able to study in Australia next fall if that's what I want. I think I do. Hooray. Now to apply and fund.

My roommates really love Maoxie. It's precious.

I've been playing with the Random Sentence Generator, which is fun:

A prerequisite helicopter gloves any dogma.
The hook rockets.
A special barrier behaves on top of the pigeon.

aw

2007-10-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

Below: bleary-eyed planners learning about the Mississippi River's formative effects on the Minneapolitan watershore. precious.

Prince

2007-09-29T13:25:00.000-04:00

If you were in Minneapolis would you be looking for Prince around every corner? I'm not, but still -- what gives? Why haven't we seen him yet?

Aside from this glaring lack, the Twin Cities have been lovely. To chronicle, I (and various others in my department) have: taken a bus tour given by the Minneapolis city planners, listened to a lecture by Myron Orfield on his very interesting research, met with the St. Paul city planners and learned about their varied and many projects, toured the Elliot Park neighborhood, and learned about the Mississippi River's formative effects on the urban landscape. There have also been plenty of social events and other ways o' experiencing the cities. I like 'em, I do. And now - a nap.

2007-09-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

My room is in the basement of my house, and this morning my landlord, certainly not per my request, installed an open-air toilet in the laundry room explicitly for my use. I just tested it it out, and it was strange.

Ploop

2007-09-18T15:37:00.001-04:00

A number of Faltos, Falto Friends, and High School Friends rolled through on Saturday, and it was simply delightful to see them friendly Irish (either in heritage or undergraduate affiliation) faces. The game sucked, but Leopold's, the Heidelberg and the Fleetwood did not. I secretly feel that I've lived in Ann Arbor for likkkkeeee a lifetime. That's good, right?

Here's a roommate's photo -- sweet Adams Ave, where I'll call home for the next 8ish months at least. Classes are good (I dropped one yesterday - so liberating!), weekends are gooder, and I'm Fed-Work/Studying in a fairly interesting capacity.

Aw

2007-09-12T17:26:00.001-04:00

The UM band, but one block away, is currently playing the ND fight song. Their arrangement is sorely lacking a soaring mellophone counter-melody. Boo.

Mitten Hello

2007-09-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

Man, this past weekend's game(s) w(as/ere) unfortunate. Ugh. Bless the PBR for lessening the sting a little. Ah, and the seeing everybody -- that was pretty great, too. Thanks for the business card, Vnak.

Sources will tell you I'm now settling into my subterranean room within the Ann Arbor city limits. It's good. When it actually looks good maybe I'll document. Classes 1 & 2 were today, and then there was frisbee.

Maoxie is settling in nicely. This is a dusty house, though, and xe is having a hard time keeping xis long hair lustrous. Free free to recommend products et al.

That's it. Classes 3, 4, 5 (&6?) are tomorrow. And maybe I will finally get my MCard. It's been my goal for the past week. Wish me luck.

Release them Stars

2007-08-26T02:19:00.000-04:00

Rufus W. shimmied through the Ravinia pavillion Saturday evening, and it was glorious. Courtesy of a coworker who found out too late that she was going to be out of town for the show, our 15th row seats provided us with delicious views of some sharp sets. Also excellent were opening act The Magic Numbers.

Old, But OK

2007-08-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

(from Wednesday August 8): This week has been sorrrrrr muggy -- muggy enough to draw Maoxie away from the Alhambra-y cool of the bathroom tiles for only the most urgent of needs, and to relegate all but the best-looking cyclists* to peds and rolling stock. Needless to say I have joined my fellow average-looking commuters in moistly shuffling onto and off of the METRA for the past fiveish business days. Sigh. Hopefully tonight's cool albeit wet climes will prevail through the a.m. so I can bike into the world of rolling stock (and newly acquired barges per this evening's elevator convo with the man in charge) once again. If Maoxie's renewed genk is a harbinger in any way, out will be the oscillating redundancy of railcar-commute-to-gainful-railcar-based-employment-to-railcar-commute, in will be the invigorating zing of multi-modality.

The weekend before this was a full and satisfying one of old topography and the overlapping venn diagrams of old/newer friends. Rounding Lake Michigan in my auto I was able to fill up my Blarney Castle mug for $0.63 so many times you don't even know! Well. Danielle probably does.

The novelty of reading John Updike's Couples last year after swapping it for ____ at a restaurant in Banos, Ecuador wore off for me about halfway through this year's Rabbit is Rich. Then sometime during Wednesday's commute it came raging back and I am currently feeling warm inside and musing over whether I'm smart enough to appreciate its having won a Pulitzer.

*True? Maybe not, but it might be.

HP#7: Where Were All the Yarmulke Scenes?

2007-08-17T14:29:00.001-04:00

Running past a portly businessman in the dappled sunlight of N. Broadway this morning I was greeted by a sharp little gust of air that went on to divest my sidewalkmate of his yarmulke. It rolled through sun and shade down a couple sidewalk squares until he pounced on it like a seasoned Headgear Retriever. It was the first time I'd ever seen that happen and -- I won't lie -- it left me wanting more.

On another note, Maoxie and I are (still) looking for housing in Ann Arbor. Help us!

Am I Wearing Pants?

2007-08-10T17:20:00.000-04:00

The nice little entry I wrote two evenings ago is saved on a post-it far from here but now, right now, I have two urgently important bits of information to relay:

I received some mail this morning indicating that the going Sunday-in-Uptown-Chicago rate for an ER doctor’s opinion (details here) and its corresponding iodine soak and plasters (2 applied in-house, approx 10 provided for personal use) is $314.88. Who would’ve thought?

In the corporate restroom on the 29th floor this morning after biking the 8.5 miles to work in heavy humidity I realized I’d brought a full change of clothes minus raiment to cover the area betwixt my ankles and waist. Shades of Fall 2000, Faltos? Ah, but that’s another story for another day. Fortunately this time I was able to purchase a pretty sharp pair of on-sale knickers at 10:00 once C.P.S. (geriatrically-patronized as to be expected) opened across the river.

And -- BONUS -- today Helvetica (the font, not film) is providing me with extreme catharsis. I may never go back to Trebuchet.

It's Fun to Scan Album Covers at the Harbo[u]r

2007-08-01T19:45:00.000-04:00

Immediately upon learning of my old compy's lack of regenerative Phoenixlike qualities I replaced it with a stunning new MacBook. Given my impending autumnal student status coupled with Apple's regular summer deals, I was privy to delicious treats including but not limited to 1) a free(ish) iPod and 2) a free(ish) printer/copier/scanner. Starved by the railway industry of the daily visual stimulus I truly need, I had WAY BIG FUN with the scanner yesterday. Here's the book I finished on the Metra today, the greater Tokyo area ca. the last quarter of the 20th century scanned from a crusty old free-giveaway U of Chicago library book and, below, some treasured album* cover artwork from 1510 W Ardmore.

*More here!

High Brown?

2007-07-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

[WOW! The unedited version of this post was shockingly awful. It was written at the library and published by accident. Eek!]

I really like my new bike, though initially I was having some disheartening knee/bum discomfort. I made a number of small adjustments, the easiest and most effective being replacement of its original squishy seat with my old Bianchi's hard yet ergonomic one. Now each of its riders (mostly me but occasional curious outsiders) feels as if his/her haunches are being cradled by the hands of angels, and that is a nice feeling.

Also, I killed my computer. Let's hope all its brains are salvageable. [Nope, they're not. Sad.]

Zoom

2007-07-22T14:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official. Joining an all-coloured-Windy-City-lines blitz halfway through isn't quite as satisfying as partaking in the Five Borough original. That said, it certainly holds its own unique merit. Highlights included sliding and swinging at 35th and Ashland, imbibing at the near west side's velvety Cobra Lounge, walking miles and miles in search of edibles after midnight on the brown line, and gleaning loads of information from one of the pink line's own 7-Eleven franchisees . . .

. . . which deserves its own bullet point. See, back in Summer 2006 7-Eleven acquired the White Hen convenience store chain, and ever since Chicago area 7-Elevens have been showing signs of WH influence, while at least one WH now flies 7-Eleven colors. While I love 7E, I also love WH and am torn by its eventual annexation. This particular franchisee, however, allayed my fears somewhat, claiming that full conversion won't happen until after the next decade (phew) and eventual once-WH-now-7E stores will "keep everything good about White Hen, except for the soup which is, unfortunately, not profitable." You heard it here first.

2007-07-21T13:11:00.000-04:00

The other day I was accused of "always being so hard core about everything," which brought a little redness to my cheeks. Me? Please. The milieu [audio bonus for dad!] was a very crowded Millennium Park, filled with quasi-Zeits and plenty (a shocking number, I found) of twenty-somethings with nice bone structure and organic munchables. I was accoutered with (1) bottle of wine, (1) corkscrew, (1) container of vitamin-enriched diet cola, (4) plastic cups and (1) knit afghan. I don't think any of it was organic -- not even the afghan. Having biked from Ravenswood with these items strapped to my person was apparently enough to constitute extremism in the eyes of my fellows. I, however, enjoyed the transit completely, WWDTM was hilarious, and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was very sweet and funny, though not as good looking as the panel had us believing.

Circle of Life

2007-07-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

So I went from Schwinn to Italian and back again, and it feels so right.

Scissors

2007-07-10T20:18:00.000-04:00

After yesterday's blitz back to Chicago I was met with crazzyyy torrential rains on the Lakeshore Drive side of the loop. It was out of control.

For the next couple posts if they happen, I will be introducing everybody to some folks. Friends. Pals. Profiled as per writing.com's amended template:

Name: Scissors
Overview: Formerly a resident of Tennessee’s storied Moccasin Bend Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Scissors has since escaped and currently roams the greater Chattanooga area. Unrehabilitated, he seeks out his victims while: frothing vermilion at the mouth, clawing his way through the underbrush at water’s edge of Blythe’s Ferry, holding his breath for minutes -- even tens of minutes -- while breast-stroking just below the surface of the Tennessee River, dodging meteors. Scissors’s intended victims include: the author of this blog, the Zeitgeist, perhaps others.
Born: Late 1960’s, early 1970’s perhaps
Physical Description: Wild eyes, wild hair, bloody jaws, clothed in a straightjacket in various stages of disrobement
Accoutred With: Scissors in one clenched fist -- either right or left is okay, light scuba gear or perhaps a diving mask for time spent underwater
Urgent Goals: Seeking aforementioned victims
Likely to React: With nominal stealth but extreme violence
Inner Conflict: Little to none
Romantic Intentions: Might be interested in a stripper named Barb. It’s neither here nor there, really.
Favorite Time of Day: Midnight and/or the wee hours, particularly when there’s a thunderstorm

2007-07-06T19:41:00.000-04:00

Dwight was raised in the Baha'i faith and his family is or was at one time was affiliated with the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, which is kind of an interesting fact. Not for that reason in any way, but instead to meditate upon images of blooming loti and nascent Phoenixes, I took a bumpy bike ride up there last Sunday. It was quite nice, and not at all apocalyptic (i guess sepia can distort what looks lovely in color) as perhaps suggested below.

Weak

2007-07-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

Some excerpts from emails over the past week.

2007.06.24: "I'm off to the doc now for (possibly) some stitches to treat a raging toe wound. I may be rendered out of commission for interaction with heavy crowds."

2007.06.25: "The toe is a-ok, i guess. Mostly I sat around in the emergency room (apparently no clinics are open on Sundays) for three hours and soaked it in iodine and waited as a number of qualified women deliberated whether or not to remove a portion of my toenail. Eventually they just bandaged me up and sent me on my way with a prescription for antibiotics lest I get an infection. I realllyyy hope it wasn't expensive. How pricey can two band-aids, some iodine and a blood pressure test be, you know? I sure don't."

2007.06.26: "All's well in the city. It's oppressively hot and humid so I went to Bikram this morning thinking its heat would make the outdoor grossness seem less oppressive, and it did. Hooray! The Bikram was also a test of my toe; I figured if it was fractured such an injury would become apparent in Bikram. It didn't. So that's good, I guess. Also the speed of sound is 340.29 meters/sec, which = 1116.4 feet/sec, so it takes approx 5 seconds for sound (the sound o' thunder, say) to travel a mile."

07.06.27: "Instead of seeing Kicking and Screaming yesterday, I harnessed the power of healing and ended up playing frisbee for a million hours. I got really sweaty (likkke Bikram sweaty) and stopped at the White Hen on the way home for some foodstuffs. The guy behind the counter was all, 'woah, I see you're sweating a lot' and I was all, 'it's true,' and then we had a big conversation about sweating and other glandular issues and the weather as I paid for my bananas and frozen yogurt."

2007.06.28: "This is what I need to get my wheels in order." And "I will arrive in the downtown area in approx 35 minutes. get ready."

SiVaVaJayJay

2007-06-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

This morning, though it was raining slightly, I made a strong effort to not sell out Kim and Danielle by showing up promptly to Millennium Park Civic Yoga at 8:00 a.m. K and D, alas, were nowhere in sight and it was toooo rainy to lay out mats on the great, green J. Pritz Lawn. So intead our leader, a female analogue of SiVaVaJayJay minus the corpulence as far as I'm concerned, led us through a series of stimulating, psychadelically-mirrored¹ and sinus-clearing poses under the Bean.

¹ Kudos to Dave for the foto. Aw, Where were YOU one year ago?

Crack Control

2007-06-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

After one particularly long (did I say long? what I meant was "started-by-leaving-the-hotel-at-3-pm") day in Tennessee, Vikki and I found our heels simply caked with the black filth of one-thousand immutable Nashville sins. Nothing -- not scrubbing, scraping, or pool calisthenics -- removed the smudges. Now, I have always had a problem with dirty feet, a lifelong hurdle caused largely by overuse of the sandal and exacerbated by rough soles and cracked heels from running/rock-climbing/etc. Only in Japan, where I felt it most appropriate to shod myself with closed toes, were my feet consistently smooth and clean throughout the four seasons. But Saturday's Nashville filth was horrifyingly unparallelled. Since then I've begun a daily regime of exfoliating, cleansing and moisturising with Emu Butter. And it's working! The end.

One thing I really like about Chicago is one can bike all over city and think it's a lovely day and then at a certain East/West dividing line -- say, going SE on Lincoln the line is Larrabee (sp?) -- the good smells and air announcing Lake Michigan proxmity become prevalent and it gets even lovlier. I experienced that feeling most mornings biking to work back in the day, and also running errands yesterday. Oh, and the day before. Tuesday I blitzed down to Chinatown to replace my phone charger (strewn somewhere in the Tennesean wilderness, I imagine) at sketchy but friendly Bee Gee Communications. Then yesterday I spent some time lazing with the tourists in Millennium Park and listening to the orchesta practice for some evening concert or another, which was quite peaceful. June is NOT a bad month to be between employment in the city.

Golden Futures

2007-06-16T11:32:00.000-04:00

Nashvegas, they call it, is a hot hot place. I miss my bicycle.

The Buckle of the Bible Belt

2007-06-14T18:03:00.000-04:00

Hallo from Dayton, TN [edit: now Nashville]. Lots has transpired here. In no particular order: spelunking, cliff-jumping, mountain-stream swimming, rock climbing, buzzard viewing, mountain biking (on a cruiser), movie watching and hiking. Good times, except today [yesterday] I hit my head on a rock and got all scraped up, and a tick tried to burrow in me, none of which were positive experiences. Ew. Ugh.

[now] Nashville is the place. Calisthenics in the pool and continental breakfast transpire in 6 hours, yesterday's head injury hurts more than ever, and tomorrow promises to be a big d.a.i.y.e., soooooooo it's time for some zed. Night!

Feats of Strength 2007

2007-06-07T15:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday instead of a forty-hour work week I clocked a forty-one-and-two-thirds-mile bike day, and trust me -- it was really satisfying.

For those interested, yesterday I also played frisbee for approximately 2 hours (I like the summer team -- a pleasant bunch for sure), applied for one internship, was in the same building as Al Gore for one red hot second, made a McDonald's employee smile after complimeting her incredible soft-serve craftsmanship, and got a Border's employee to readily admit he hates Al Gore Crowd Control.

Also worth noting, because of its rarity: two nights ago I got asked out by a fellow cyclist while blitzing down Clark, which was really interesting and only slightly awkward. I was completely unshowered and on my way to yoga, and the guy's bike was orange. Then yesterday, on my way to Al Gore's vicinity, a gentleman outside the post office gave me a long lecture about taking care of the smear of bike grease on my right calf, which was more than slightly awkward; I aborted the situation as quickly as possible. Then last evening, after the 41-mile blitz, everyone in the universe steered clear of me. The end.

Gainless

2007-06-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

It's rainin' hard -- drops the size of grapes is what it looks like from here. And you know what that means: good weather for this album.

Two-ish weeks ago Kim & I went to see 28 Weeks Later, which was shockingly gory, and the act of attendance went against all principles I hold dear. To round out the experience, then, yesterday evening included a rental/viewing of 28 Days Later. I enjoyed it more than its sequel for sure, but still had some creepy dreams. Ugh. No more of that. None.

The photo to the lower left documents my drive out to Palatine to retrieve Maoxie from Erin and Ollie. On they way back, Maoxie in carriage, a glorious rainbow bridged Foster at Western as I stopped by the 7-Eleven for some sodas. Lovely.

Grilling Meats at the Harbour!

2007-05-31T00:56:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back (the 12th, I believe) Jake, Ritz/Nate-Cracker and I grilled fruit-flavored and thai-sauce-marinated sausages over Polish charcoal on a freezing spring evening. This whole event really brought back some memories. Miserable Montrose grilling must transpire at least once a year!

City Beasts Et Al

2007-05-28T18:58:00.000-04:00

Right at the cusp of the Romantic Quality (wikipedia may be way off base on this one but it's not my place to apologize) as per usual, The Zeitgeist has already touched, albeit rather esoterically, on today's subject matter.

Yet I must expound, briefly.

What are some components of a citybeast? A citybeast, like a Ubiquitously Applicable Moniker, must carry universal appeal. It speaks to all; for instance womens, children, menfolk, peons and royalty. But what is it? It is a beast. Additionally, it is an assembly of people -- civilization on some level (metropolis, county seat, suburb, gated community). Some examples:

1) Phoenix (AZ)
2) The Canaries
3) Buffalo Grove
4) Deerfield
5) Turkey

So on yesterday's replay of A Prairie Home Companion, Billy Collins read this nice little ditty featuring such locales as Pheasant Ridge, Quail Falls and Fox Run. And though I appreciated the solo ruminations BC's reading elicited in me, it really hit home that few CBs can quite trump the clout of The Canaries. Am I right? Yes.

However, if you are thinking, "I can trump that clout. Just let me at it. Just give me the ways and means for founding my own citybeast," then look no further than your local Bestiary, friends, and godspeed.

Bereft of Rolling Stock, The UnCoupled Make Do

2007-05-21T15:01:00.000-04:00

Last Monday was my birthday, and it was fun. My friend Haruki just reminded me via email that as an unmarried female member of the quarter-centuty club, I am -- in the eyes of Japanese culture -- a metaphorical piece of crusty, discounted Christmas cake, still on the shelf after December 25th. Delicious!

After approx fifty-four weeks, today is my first day unfettered from the railcar industry. Though I'm working elsewhere from Wednesday to Wednesday, this emancipation of a sort feels incredibly good. I'm currently bunking in my friend Danielle's Phoenix Lounge, and since the day is sunny and the wireless extends through the garden, I'm perched out back on a weather-worn picnic table and am listening to the marching band down the street complemented by the pleasant scraping of winchimes on the back porch. It almost doesn't feel like the city, except for the cars and airplanes and construction. But still, it's a glorious little milieu for blogging. Additionally, there's a mangy ginger tabby (no Maoxie, but a nice presence nonetheless) writhing blissfully here in the grass, and an angry squirrell hurlinng bits and pieces at it from the tree above. Nature verses Nature!

I dragged Danielle to Meditation clazz with me last Tuesday, which was interesting. There are three more installments over the next weeks, so I'll be sure to update. Our sensei, a Bob Brown or Frank Costanza to the naked eye, proclaimed his moniker as something Sanskrit-sounding, like Siddhartha or Sanjaya or (our preference by far) SiVaVaJayJay. Despite our displayed irreverence and my admitted (but normal and valid, I think) skepticism, I'm somewhat intrigued by the whole process. My sincere goal is to figure out how to get totally zenned out whilst yoga-ing. I think it's possible.

In that vein I'm about three-fifths of the way through Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it is completely not what I'd expected. But it IS great, and is stretching my jellowey (wow, that should definitely be a word. Consider it coined NOW) brain in all sorts of weird ways.

Presently I'll have some funny pictures from such events as: It's Fun To Grill Meats At The Harbour 2007, Ultimate Fifth Place Spring Championship 2007, Birthday 2007 and Last Day Happy Hour 2007. Until then, then.

Bracketed!

2007-05-17T09:08:00.000-04:00

While filling out my CBF survey I found myself bumped up to the 25-34 age bracket from the 18-24. Seriously, what do I have in common with the average 34-year-old? A LOT, apparently. Shocking.

2007-05-16T14:45:00.000-04:00

Character 1: Baldish fellow clad in camouflaged cutoffs, tie-dyed boxers (revealed top edge), TEVAs and a zip-up fleece.
Character 2: Eliz in a turtleneck, cutoff pants and flip-flops.
Scene: Both are on cycles, waiting to cross W North Ave heading south on Wells. It's Wednesday, May 16, 2007, 8:45 a.m.

Fellow: Woah, you’re wearing less than me!
Eliz: (coughs) Pardon?
Fellow: Clothes-wise; less than me. It’s rare. And impressive.
Eliz: (stretches toes) Well, the air feels so good today. Less is better.
Fellow: You've got that right!

The streetlight turns green and they zoom off into the loop.

Tally-Ho

2007-05-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken just before Maoxie's exile to the suburbs in order to encapsulate everything Jake and Maoxie have shared and will share over the years. It didn't turn out quite as well as some family portraits of yore, so mostly I like to look at it as a pictoral allegory. Is this a fair approach? Hm. Indulge me. On the left we have Maoxie, blitzing for the windowsill in order to seek stimuli from the outside. On the right is Jake, yearing to embrace our little feline, but also understanding xer otherworldly needs. Finally, in the background hover several overbearing, unbearably dull and yet steady images of rolling stock. Interpret the overall package as you will; it speaks to me in unprecedented ways. The whimsical yet strikingly clear boxcar aura wreathing Maoxie's furry head cuts with the sharpness of Phaedrus's blade, coring a sphere into eighths. Call me crazy.

Get This

2007-05-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

Upon receiving some deliciously lovely news on Thursday evening, off were kicked three full-on days of celebration and etc. I made some phone calls to friends & fam (mom and dad were prepping to jet off to Zion & Dave to the UK but they were all excited for me, briefly) followed by episodes of The Office and part of Napoleon Dynamite complimented by a large rectangular prism of Bombay Sapphire.

On Friday, after a very validating (I'll be living it up in the railcar industry for 10 more working days ONLY) happy hour and a phone call from sweet Meggie-Chan in Melbourne, I blitzed on over to Kim & Vikki's for a relatively low-key evening of some Hennessey and Catchphrase.

Saturday started early; at 8:45ish me, two Jakes, Oess, a double-bagged grill, two Gander Mountain chairs and a tight-weave afghan crammed into my car for a trip out to Schiller Forest. Our Ultimate team won our first game but lost the second with a heart-wrenching 13-12 result. Ugh. Alas. Afterward we singed the grass in the park 'neath Otter's cylindrical grill as scrumptious meat-flavored soy products lofted their tantalizing aromas amongst the whizzing frisbees. Nicknames were coined (Albatross Woods, the Gazelle, Veronica Corningstone), oreos grilled, eleven poppyseed scones sampled, beer poured on crotches and cinnamon-flavored sweet potato crisps reviled. After a much-needed shower and etc there were kegs and margueritas.

And that, friends, is the comprehensive report. Today: His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he'll have us. Sweet!

2007-05-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

Last night's 8:15 - 9:45 Bikram was exactly what was necessary to soothe my bruised self after two-ish daysof HEAVY moving out of Andersonville. The instructor, a guy who's starting up a studio in Evanston, was excellent. Were I not slowly migrating toward the city center I'd consider making the E.Ston location my new home.

Filled with inspiration and post-Bikram vanilla Jell-O this morning, I caught the 7:01 Metra (a ROUSING first) and was at my desk by 7:20 -- shocking and homeric, both.

Cafe BONG

2007-04-29T02:33:00.001-04:00

Cafe Bong, just south of Ardmore on Clark, treated us very sweetly on this our last night in Andersonville. After we'd emptied our wallets of a combined $7 cash & the Korean proprietress had downed her fourth tequila shot of the evening, our beerz were on the house as we karaoke'd to Toto, the Backtreet Boys and Like a Virgin for the oscillating amusement, horror and disregard of our fellow barmates. Perhaps I will celebrate my 25th there. Yes. No. Yes.

Maoxie OD'd on Catnip tonight, and our natural reaction was to dress shim in xer vestments of yore; a truncated pant leg with slits for armholes. Tomorrow ze's going to Erin & Ollie's for a trial separation month of rolling on Palatinean carpet. Also tomorrow we pack up all our earthly belongings and get out of dodge. And I interview to live in a co-op for the summer. All these things will be done fueled by Bong memories, naturally. I can't wait.

2007-04-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

"There is a thing inherent and natural, which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades everywhere and never becomes exhausted. It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. I do not know its name. If I am forced to give it a name, I call it Tao, and I name it as supreme.." ~Laozi

The wisdom of [M]aozi really helped me SIVE* through the day, and for that fact I am thankful. Tiny steps in an unknown direction were made, fears were conquered, and the passive was used. Hooray!

*SIVE = Self Identification Via Elimination, a philosophy of life coined here in A-Ville and practiced largely by Jake. I do not SIVE on a regular basis, but I sure do try to SIVEOT (Self Identify Via Elimination of Toxins) as often as possible, particularly during Bikram. But I digress. Today I initiated the conclusion of one chapter of many moons of work-related SIVEing, and it was great. Big si[ve]gh (the v is si[ve]lent).

The DC Metro. SHARP!

2007-04-18T23:47:00.000-04:00

The District

2007-04-15T16:12:00.000-04:00

I flew into Reagan International last night, and it's been grey and rainy since my arrival. The 18 hours since taxiing on the tarmac have so far encompassed two driving tours through The District, some throwback dance moves at the Clarendon Ballroom, a lovely and extremely extended brunch with Jess and former fellow ILochen counselor A.Little (who lives something like a four- or five-minute drive away from J.Bev) and -- soon -- a nap. During brunch the conclusion was met that all of my friends must be simultaneously a) in MeatLoaf's band and b) on a Chinatown bus, while all of Little's friends must carry cans with strings (for telephonic purposes). These qualities we seek in our acquaintances are nearly mutually exclusive, which explains why we rarely communicate.

A large portion of yesterday was spent hoping that Chicago would win its 2016 Olympic Bid (link leads to inspirational youtube video -- much more soulful than LA's), and then wondering from the frisbee pitch if it had. Welllll, it DID and it's most certainly stirring. Hooray Chi '16!

Of Snowstorms & Butter Lambs

2007-04-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

After frizz on Saturday I decided ot blitz eastward to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend with non-nuclear family. My blizzardy drive to Detroit was rewarded with nothing short of a sub-$3.00 butter lamb, hearkening upon conversations of yore whilst "ornating" Bruce & Becky's dining room table. Under the heated duress of a kitchen full o' cooking on a snowy April afternoon, the once featureless little creature metamorphosed into the primate-like gargoyle below. Innocence of the Christ-child indeed. AHHHH!

On Friday I got a new bici, and I love it. It's an old, svelte, maroon Bianchi mixte with newer wheels, good brakes and aluminium pedals. The ride is smooth and responsive and it's at least 50% lighter than my old Schwinn. Ron and Jim of Nearly New [Something] at Grace & Broadway were very good to me, staving off ogling potential buyers for a week while I thought over the purchase. Post-Bikram on Friday I decided it was time, and after a couple spins around the block I handed over my trusty Schwinn (I figure I logged around 2,000 miles on that little guy, but truthfully I was happy to see him go), signed up for a full summer of free parts and labor, and blitzed home. I enjoy it so, and am starting to become evangelical. A growing contingecy at work is learning that if they ask me daily about my ride I will make shameless efforts to draw them into my fold.

Jake's got a family friend in town so just now we (well, I only did a little) cleaned the apartment from top to bottom for the first time in many many moons. It's so amazingly cozy when it's been scrubbed and brushed. We've got just nineteen more days here (gasp!) and I hope to enjoy 'em as much as possible. Despite the unresponsive superintendant & strains of heavy Techno/Rock/Salsa/Pop/Hip-Hop/Bears/Chihuahuas/Screams that so often permeate our uninsulated ceiling and floorboards, I will miss this pleasant little womblike abode. Sigh. Time to move on.

Bigsies: Drugged and Sans Manhood. Aww.

2007-04-09T01:15:00.000-04:00

Snip!

2007-04-04T22:57:00.000-04:00

As if xe wasn't sexually confused enough already, dear sweet Maoxie-DooDoo-Bigsies-Keifer-[Man]pie becomes a textbook androgyne at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Poor neutered baby.

The Key to Yoga

2007-04-03T00:05:00.000-04:00

Here I sit, parsing through The Key to Yoga by Walter B. Gibson.* Copyrighted in 1958, costing $1.45 at one point or another, stolen from my momma's collection and touting itself as "a modern treatment of an ancient subject, covered in an absorbing, understandable style," The Key to Yoga is an undeniable gem. And yet while I find it to be neither absorbing, particularly understandable, nor modern, it is informative, and I really like the cover illustration. Additionally, the list of Informative Books Which Will Introduce Interesting Hobbies and Other Subjects on the back of the dustjacket is wholly stimulating. A sampling:

#3107 - Lightning Jiu-jitsu, $1.00
#3112 - Papercraft for Fun, $1.00
#3115 - Fun for Boys, $1.00
#3116 - Fun for Girls, $1.00
#3143 - Home Experiments in Electricity, $2.00
#3171 - Key to Profitable Coin Collecting, $2.00
#3109 - How to Play the Trotters and Win, $2.00

If mom has any of these I sure do hope it's Home Experiments in Electricity, which sounds like something Maoxie would really enjoy in xer spare time.

In addition to attempting this book, I have been making rash decisions lately in the vein of waking up at 5:30 in order to squeeze some prime-time Bikram into my day, Bikramming after work, Bikramming after Ultimate (my team is 2-0-1, which is sooper!) and Bikramming before fashion shows. And that's that.

* Author of other esteemed tomes such as The Key to Hypnotism, The Book of Secrets, Houdini's Escapes, Houdini's Magic, etc.

2007-03-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

As info: I trimmed Maoxie's stomach-fur, set my brother and college roommate up for brunchies in Philly, played my first two ultimate games with the spring team (really interesting grouping we have out there, for sure), plunged into the icy waters of lake michigan, made tentative living arrangements for lease-end, ran out of gas (pictured below), started Bikram again, vowed to buy a new bike this weekend (it won't happnen, though), have ridden my untrustworthy machine to work fairly regularly, and've thrown the frisbee all over the beach. The weather, though spotty, has been so enjoyable.

Two Types

2007-03-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

Say what you will, there is really only one way to divide the world into two types, and those types are The Pubber and The Clubber. I know, you're probably thinking "what about Karaoke Starz? Where do they fit in?" Belive it or not, The Karaoke Star is the umbrella under which both of the other categories fall. It's universal. Part of the collective unconscious. The archetype of all archetypes. Integral to the human experience. Whether or not you're aware, at some point during your life you either have embraced or will embrace your inner Karaoke Star. Don't hold back.

But I digress. The distinction at hand is: Pubber or Clubber? Please see the sets of lists below and decide for yourself.

Items w/ which each might accouter itself on any given [St. Patrick's] day:

Pubber

A stockpile of of Bailey's, Jamison, Guinness
A fridge-/range-full of Bangers & Mash
A favorite sweatshirt or sporting jersey (preferably rugby/football)
Some fudgesicles
A bad haircut
20 gigs of classic rock, blues, motown
A mental catalogue of all of Stevie Wonder's modulations

Clubber

A stockpile of glowsticks
A dry bar-full of Zima. Mmmmm.
A favorite mesh top or torso
Some mind-altering substances (on top of the Zima, naturally)
20 gigs of hard dubstep
A knowledge of how many BPM's doth a good Beverly Knight groove make

Defining situations in which each might find itself on any given [St. Patrick's] day:

Pubber

Covered in bangers, mash, gravy, fudgesicle
Sprawled on top of a broken chair
Standing in a puddle of Coors Light
Sitting in a puddle of Coors Light
Changing pants in the shower
Sharing a bar with woodland creatures
Feeding tens of dollars into the jukebox

Clubber

Covered in glowstick innards
Sprawled on top of a Zima-filled bar
Writhing in a mesh-and-torso-filled cage
Quaffing vodka-based drinks with abandon
Wearing Leather Pants

And I feel the distinctions are fairly clear. Please decide for yourself which one you are. Questions will be fielded in the Comments window.