A couple weekends ago my aunt and uncle were visiting my parents from Kansas City. Of course they all had to come visit me and my roommate the day after her 20th birthday party. So we scrubbed out the vomit stained carpet and shoveled away all the empties as my family was riding up the elevator. As I greeted them at the door with one eye open my mother asked me if I was interested in joining them for lunch at the Eleven City Diner. After they snooped around my tired apartment I changed out o my wrinkled party dress and herded everyone out the door. It seemed like years before we got to our sticky booth where we ordered lunch. Choking down a over cooked burger I was really trying hard to hide my hangover as my uncle was engaging in a story about his brother’s homosexual experience during his colonoscopy. Then my mother did what she always does best and interrupts the story with an announcement that she invested in a Shedd Aquarium family pass. My mother has bought a family pass for the Art Institute as well so she can have somewhat control over what my family does over the holidays. In the mean time, she lets me borrow the passes to use with my friends. Right away when she told me about the aquarium pass I thought of my roommate and my boyfriend. My roommate and I have been talking about going to the aquarium for a long time but it’s always been too expensive. And my boyfriend and I are always looking for something to do in the city together. Once I got home from lunch I consulted the troops are we all got geared up for an adventure to see the fish.
It was a warm day and all the left over snow started to melt into tiny little streams down the sidewalk. My Diesel shoes were not being so appreciative so I demanded a piggyback ride to get through the soiled tundra. Climbing millions of steep stairs all the way up to the revolving doors all of us were pretty excited. It’s been years since I've been to the aquarium so I was especially pumped.
Because I had the pass we were able to skip the long hot and sweaty line and go right in like celebrities. We started in like flies on flypaper being mesmerized by the giant tank in the entrance. A deep-sea diver was feeding all the animals inside the tank and all of us were imagining a life like that. Just getting paid to swim around in a giant fish tank with no worries but feeding fish.
After that we traveled though the maze of smaller tanks that held a variety of strange and unusual fish. We all felt about ten years younger with our over flowing excitement.
All of us found our way to the dolphin show and sat down on the uncomfortable steps to watch. We were greeted right away by helium inspired host who had an ibis of useless knowledge to share with the crowd of 300. My roommate and I made a point to mock every other word that came out of her mouth just like we would have done something similar in middle school. As Enya blared though the speakers the dolphins did their song and dance and the uninspiring show was over.
All of us declared that everyone was starving we decided to get the hell out of the aquarium and find some sandwiches to quench our hunger.
Looking back on it, I enjoyed my experience at the aquarium very much since I barely remember it from when I was a kid. I’m glad I got to indulge in the fun activities as well as spend time with people I care about. Even though it cramped my style for a little while when I was there, I'm thankful I went in the end.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Home Sweet Home (from Mike)
It was a Saturday and I had nothing to do. I was going crazy sitting in my dorm. I didn’t feel like venturing out into the city and spend lots of money or look for a party. A lot of my friends went to the suburbs so I decided to catch the next train back to Hinsdale. I didn’t even think about it; I packed my backpack with a few things and trekked over to Union Station.
It’s about one mile from my dorm to Union Station, but walking in the cold made it feel like two. No one wanted to go out in this weather unless they had to. The streets were dead. I could have taken a cab, but that cost money. Instead, I just walked at the cost of being cold.
I kind of enjoy walking. It’s a good way for me to learn my surroundings, and also get some exercise rather than zooming through the streets in a car. I can take my time and see where good stores and restaurants are in the area. I can use all my senses as I walk too. I can feel the wind upon my face. I can hear the streets crawling with engines, sirens and horns. I can smell the draft from the Chicago River. And when I look around, I see an endless cement jungle with buildings climbing out of my peripheral vision and streets that go on forever. Near Union Station is the Sears Tower. Any time I am under it, I can’t help but gaze up to the sky as if I had never seen it before. It just blows me away knowing that we can make such massive structures.
I made my train with seconds to spare. I dozed off watching the buildings get smaller and smaller out my window. Thirty-five minutes later, I was in Hinsdale. When I stepped off the train the first thing I noticed was the trees making up the skyline. I always get a weird feeling when I step off the train like I just stepped through a teleporter.
As I walked home I noticed the same, cold wind blowing through me. I listened to the wind howling through open sky. I smell the clean air and look up to the starry sky. It made me appreciate how much more peaceful the suburbs are than the city. Usually, I hate being in boring town but on this night, it was something I craved—home sweet home.
It’s about one mile from my dorm to Union Station, but walking in the cold made it feel like two. No one wanted to go out in this weather unless they had to. The streets were dead. I could have taken a cab, but that cost money. Instead, I just walked at the cost of being cold.
I kind of enjoy walking. It’s a good way for me to learn my surroundings, and also get some exercise rather than zooming through the streets in a car. I can take my time and see where good stores and restaurants are in the area. I can use all my senses as I walk too. I can feel the wind upon my face. I can hear the streets crawling with engines, sirens and horns. I can smell the draft from the Chicago River. And when I look around, I see an endless cement jungle with buildings climbing out of my peripheral vision and streets that go on forever. Near Union Station is the Sears Tower. Any time I am under it, I can’t help but gaze up to the sky as if I had never seen it before. It just blows me away knowing that we can make such massive structures.
I made my train with seconds to spare. I dozed off watching the buildings get smaller and smaller out my window. Thirty-five minutes later, I was in Hinsdale. When I stepped off the train the first thing I noticed was the trees making up the skyline. I always get a weird feeling when I step off the train like I just stepped through a teleporter.
As I walked home I noticed the same, cold wind blowing through me. I listened to the wind howling through open sky. I smell the clean air and look up to the starry sky. It made me appreciate how much more peaceful the suburbs are than the city. Usually, I hate being in boring town but on this night, it was something I craved—home sweet home.
Big Mouth
I went to big mouth at Columbia on valentine day. Big mouth is a open talent show. That means anyone can perfrom. On the day i attended it was alot of good acts so you can say. It wasn't up until the last act that I seen that me sick. It was a man dressed as a women. He had the weave in his hair and he had on make-up. He was a little to damn gay on that stage. Don't get me wrong I don't have nothing against gay people but he even made them look bad. He came on stage in some women panties with his balls hanging out the side and that was to natsy for my eyes. He had two girls and two boys on stage with him. It was tooken to the next level when him and one of the boys came on stage and started danceing with each other. He ripped of the boy shirt and they started to dance like they where really about to have sex on the stage. Thats what really turned my stomach. But other then that it was ok. You had people singing, dancing, and doind poems. The music that night was all the lovely shit because it was valentine day. Everybody was dress up and ready to turn the stage out. Thats what they did. Everybody that came on stage was good. It one group that stood out the most and that just because he is already signed in the game. It was Gemini. He is a cold rapper born and rasied it the chi. He real wasn't all that good it was just the fact that he know Lupee. He had ened the show and it could of been better but hey.
Pitchfork Music Festival 2007
Pitchfork Media announced on January 19th, 2007 that they would hold their third music festival in Chicago, IL at Union Park on July 13th through the 15th, having three days of music as opposed to only two at previous festivals. Technically, this was only Pitchfork's second festival using their name. Intonation Music Festival was held in July of 2005 at Union Park, curated and launched by Pitchfork Media. Intonation headliners included Tortoise and The Decemberists, supported by such acts as Death From Above 1979, The Go! Team, Broken Social Scene, Four Tet, Les Savy Fav, Deerhoof, Andrew Bird, Out Hud, and Xiu Xiu, among others.
It's hard to say which year was the best because each time was an entirely different experience. I have found with music festivals that the line up, whether there are several bands you want to see one day or not so many the next, is really all about the experience. Personally, I never thought I would enjoy outdoor music festivals until I went to Intonation, which was the first festival I had been to. Now it has become an event that I look forward to every summer.
The first day of bands at Pitchfork is what sold me on buying a ticket. "Don't Look Back" Concerts and "All Tomorrow's Parties" collaborated with Pitchfork, adding an additional day to the originally two day festivities. "Don't Look Back" is a series of concerts where artists are asked to play their most influential album of their career in it's entirety. July 13th included Slint performing Spiderland, GZA with Liquid Swords, and Sonic Youth playing Daydream Nation. The gates opened at 5 PM and Slint went on at 6:30 PM. I only stood up front for their performance for a few songs, as I wanted to get a good spot over at the other stage where GZA and Sonic Youth would be performing. While it was incredibly amazing to see Slint as well as have them perform Spiderland, my impression was that they were not that into it. They also had set lists in front of them on stage, even though they were playing the album front to back. Their lack of enthusiasm didn't make me get that into their set but of course, they still played well for the few songs I watched.I made my way across Union Park and got a nice spot up front at the Connector Stage.
I wasn't all that familiar with GZA or Liquid Swords, but who wouldn't want to watch a member of Wu-Tang Clan perform? The Genius was joined by Cappadonna, Killah Priest, and Dreddy Krueger in what turned out to be the best hip-hop performance I've seen. The whole crowd got into it, throwing their hands up to make a "W" sign for Wu-Tang. The artists closed their set with a dedication to the late ODB. I expected most of the obvious GZA fans to clear out before Sonic Youth went on, but the crowd only seemed to get bigger and drunker.
Sonic Youth took the stage around 9:30 PM and the crowd got a bit crazy here and there, but I can't really blame them because I was very excited to see their set as well. GZA fans turned out to be Sonic Youth fans, too, and sang along to every song off Daydream Nation. The set ended after an hour and a half, leaving festival-goers with a positive outlook for the rest of the weekend.
I arrived Saturday afternoon as Voxtrot was about to play at the Aluminum Stage, and I
watched them for a few songs. They did very well for being newcomers at a big festival. I had seem them before at a bar, and I got the impression that they were awkward and nervous being in the spotlight but they seemed quite the opposite this time. Grizzly Bear went on after Voxtrot at the Connector Stage. This band was one of my favorite bands that played on Saturday. I never got into their album Yellow House but seeing them live definitely convinced me to give it another listen. Other notable bands that I stuck around for Saturday were 
Battles and Professor Murder. I heard from other festival attendees that Girl Talk's performance was outrageous and the place was packed, which wasn't a big area where the Balance Stage was (this being the smaller stage that replaced the DJ tent at previous festivals). Most people were skeptical about Yoko Ono headlining that night, and according to reviews and people I spoke to the next day, not many people stuck around or they left after a few minutes into her performance. Oh well, that's what happens when you're Yoko Ono, I guess.Sunday I arrived while The Ponys were in the middle of their set and just a few seconds of hearing them was enough for my ears. I watched a bit of Menomena, but I felt that they should have played later in the day when the sun was not blazing. I was not all that interested in many bands on the last day and really went for Stephen Malkmus.
I staked out a spot up front (only to be overpowered by tall people) and got plenty of great pictures. Malkmus played okay, minus the frequent pre-pubescent sounding voice cracks. Pavement drummer Bob Nastanovich made a guest-appearance, which was real fun to see.
The pair had great chemistry and made the performance very enjoyable for the crowd, as they seemed to be having fun on stage together. The crowd tried to cheer Malkmus back on to the stage after his set ended, but to no avail. Of Montreal went on following Malkmus at the Aluminum Stage, and the first five minutes (which was really just their "intro," because apparently they are the kind of band who needs that) ran me right out of Union Park. There is only so much I can take when a band comes out on stage wearing gigantic pink angel wings.
The first day of the Pitchfork Music Festival was probably what saved it this year, as I cannot imagine it selling out based on Saturday and Sunday alone. My experience was still enjoyable each day, but seeing three amazing bands perform their most influential albums in one night wins over pink angel wings and Yoko Ono any day.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Maps!
Not long ago, my friends and I went to see the Maps exhibit at the Field Museum. Last spring Sean saw an ad for the upcoming exhibit and we have been anticipating it ever since. We went with Kelly and Christina, each of whom have their own passions for maps and globes.
So we got all bundled up, took the train downtown and the museum campus bus to get there. Christina and I had never been to the museum before so we wanted to see some other parts. We got there a little before our reservation for the maps so we took a look at Sue, the famous dinosaur and then wandered into the section with all the stuffed animals. One thing that really sticks out to me was realizing how big wolves are and how small foxes are. I had never seen either up close at all, so I was really surprised to note the differences in their sizes.
Finally, it was our turn to get to see the maps. We are all pretty big nerds so we began to wander our way around pointing out little details, "oohing" and "ahhing" our way around the first room. In this first room, the curators create several contexts for maps, showing the various uses for maps and how differing styles of maps can be used. The rest of the exhibit furthered the idea of contextualizing maps. Each room showed various maps and globes that were created for varying reasons by giving the audience a specific lens to consider the mini-collection. For instance, there were maps that were used to tell stories, those used for war strategies, those used to illustrate power, those used to show the relationships between societies and their beliefs.
There were quite a few that really stood out to me. First of all were the huge globes. I don't remember their stories, but they were enormous a few feet across. Also, there were the European maps that were embroidered by school girls to teach history and needlepoint. And then there were the maps of fantasy-lands. These were some of the most interesting to me because as a child I was obsessed with mapping my own known world and linking it to my imagined world. The fairy tale world was especially interesting, you could also see that it hasn't been too long ago that some fairy tales were used to show certain groups power over others. On this map you could find the old woman who lived in a shoe, Jack's beanstalk, and all of your favorite princesses. But we were all surprised and taken aback when we found "The Wandering Jew." Also, it was pretty exciting to see a couple of Tolkien's sketches, one of which was drawn on the back of one of his student's tests.
The exhibit fully explored (but not exhausted) all the ways of looking at maps and how they have evolved. The final room showed a few interactive maps and GPS and showed how technology has always played a part in map science and art. This brings me to one thing I really appreciated about this exhibit. I have always felt maps are one of the great examples of where art and science meet. There were some incredibly beautiful pieces, but so many of them were created not for their aesthetic appeal but for their utility.
So we got all bundled up, took the train downtown and the museum campus bus to get there. Christina and I had never been to the museum before so we wanted to see some other parts. We got there a little before our reservation for the maps so we took a look at Sue, the famous dinosaur and then wandered into the section with all the stuffed animals. One thing that really sticks out to me was realizing how big wolves are and how small foxes are. I had never seen either up close at all, so I was really surprised to note the differences in their sizes.
Finally, it was our turn to get to see the maps. We are all pretty big nerds so we began to wander our way around pointing out little details, "oohing" and "ahhing" our way around the first room. In this first room, the curators create several contexts for maps, showing the various uses for maps and how differing styles of maps can be used. The rest of the exhibit furthered the idea of contextualizing maps. Each room showed various maps and globes that were created for varying reasons by giving the audience a specific lens to consider the mini-collection. For instance, there were maps that were used to tell stories, those used for war strategies, those used to illustrate power, those used to show the relationships between societies and their beliefs.
There were quite a few that really stood out to me. First of all were the huge globes. I don't remember their stories, but they were enormous a few feet across. Also, there were the European maps that were embroidered by school girls to teach history and needlepoint. And then there were the maps of fantasy-lands. These were some of the most interesting to me because as a child I was obsessed with mapping my own known world and linking it to my imagined world. The fairy tale world was especially interesting, you could also see that it hasn't been too long ago that some fairy tales were used to show certain groups power over others. On this map you could find the old woman who lived in a shoe, Jack's beanstalk, and all of your favorite princesses. But we were all surprised and taken aback when we found "The Wandering Jew." Also, it was pretty exciting to see a couple of Tolkien's sketches, one of which was drawn on the back of one of his student's tests.
The exhibit fully explored (but not exhausted) all the ways of looking at maps and how they have evolved. The final room showed a few interactive maps and GPS and showed how technology has always played a part in map science and art. This brings me to one thing I really appreciated about this exhibit. I have always felt maps are one of the great examples of where art and science meet. There were some incredibly beautiful pieces, but so many of them were created not for their aesthetic appeal but for their utility.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Silk Parachute
I really liked this reading because I could really relate to it. The writer brings up a story about how he had to hide his sandwhich in a snowbank becuase his mother made it and wanted him to eat it so badly. Later she witnessed him stuffing the sandwich in a snow bank and she chased him downa dn forced him to eat it. Everyone knows that feeling when your mother finds out you did something you wernt supposed to. When I read that part of the essay I got really into it because I felt a connection.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Assignment
I want you to get out and make the most of your resources in this urban campus. There are endless opportunities to experience culture in this city, so start looking for what interests you and get ready to explore. Remember that you have to write 4 entries. You should plan to do one for each calendar month that we are in class. In other words by the end of February you should have one experience posted here, then one for March, one for April and one for May. This way by the end of the semester you have a total of four posts. You are welcome to work ahead if you prefer, but don't be late. It is up to you to schedule time in your week for these experiences.
Step 1: Getting out
I have listed examples below, divided into 3 categories (events, museums/galleries, performances). Because I want you to get a variety of experiences I want you to visit places that fall into each of these categories at least once over the course of the semester.
Events: conventions, festivals, worship or spiritual gatherings, political events, meetings, lectures, Critical Encounters events, knitting circles, critical mass, marathons( any sort of sporting event as a participant, a volunteer, or a spectator)
Museums/Galleries: Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, C-Space Galleries, Center for Book and Paper Arts
Performances: fiction or poetry readings, plays, concerts or shows (anything from rock to classical), dance performances
These are simply examples to get you thinking. Anything you can think of that provides you with an engaging experience about which you can write will be great.
Step 2: Compose 500+ words (the equivalent of 2 typed double spaced pages)discussing your experience.
You might begin by explaining the basics of your experience, the where, what, when, how, and why of the event, place, or performance. Talk about why you decided on this place/event, what interested or prompted you to go. Perhaps you might begin by describing the atmosphere then discuss how you engaged with your surroundings. For instance, if you are writing about a gallery or museum you may choose to focus on one particular exhibit or piece. While it is a good place to start, you must go deeper than simply describing your experience though.
Ask yourself open-ended questions (you can include these questions in your entry). For instance, what do you feel the artist or author is trying to get across? Has your experience prompted you to make changes in your life? What do you know or feel now that you didn't know or feel before? What new questions do you have after digesting your experience? Have you found a new passion or rekindled an old one?
Step 3: Post your entry on the Journaling Chicago blog.
Step 4: Be sure to read your classmates journals. I encourage you to respond to one another's entries regularly. And I require that you respond to at least one other person's entry each month (and when I say respond, I mean writing more than a single word or even just one sentence.) I suggest following my lead once I begin responding.
Remember:
This blog is an extension of our classroom so I suggest you follow the same guidelines for respect that we maintain inside the classroom. This factors into the "attitude" portion of your grade.
Step 1: Getting out
I have listed examples below, divided into 3 categories (events, museums/galleries, performances). Because I want you to get a variety of experiences I want you to visit places that fall into each of these categories at least once over the course of the semester.
Events: conventions, festivals, worship or spiritual gatherings, political events, meetings, lectures, Critical Encounters events, knitting circles, critical mass, marathons( any sort of sporting event as a participant, a volunteer, or a spectator)
Museums/Galleries: Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, C-Space Galleries, Center for Book and Paper Arts
Performances: fiction or poetry readings, plays, concerts or shows (anything from rock to classical), dance performances
These are simply examples to get you thinking. Anything you can think of that provides you with an engaging experience about which you can write will be great.
Step 2: Compose 500+ words (the equivalent of 2 typed double spaced pages)discussing your experience.
You might begin by explaining the basics of your experience, the where, what, when, how, and why of the event, place, or performance. Talk about why you decided on this place/event, what interested or prompted you to go. Perhaps you might begin by describing the atmosphere then discuss how you engaged with your surroundings. For instance, if you are writing about a gallery or museum you may choose to focus on one particular exhibit or piece. While it is a good place to start, you must go deeper than simply describing your experience though.
Ask yourself open-ended questions (you can include these questions in your entry). For instance, what do you feel the artist or author is trying to get across? Has your experience prompted you to make changes in your life? What do you know or feel now that you didn't know or feel before? What new questions do you have after digesting your experience? Have you found a new passion or rekindled an old one?
Step 3: Post your entry on the Journaling Chicago blog.
Step 4: Be sure to read your classmates journals. I encourage you to respond to one another's entries regularly. And I require that you respond to at least one other person's entry each month (and when I say respond, I mean writing more than a single word or even just one sentence.) I suggest following my lead once I begin responding.
Remember:
This blog is an extension of our classroom so I suggest you follow the same guidelines for respect that we maintain inside the classroom. This factors into the "attitude" portion of your grade.
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