i've been doing a great job of coming up with things to write about, in my head, but a terrible job of actually logging the day-to-day in the last weeks, or months. this week was spent pretty continuously at the shop, printing and working on illustrations, getting some things done, failing to get some other important stuff done. this evening i went to TBM, after an all-day functional headache; i drank a big glass of water and realized with some degree of clarity that my actual day-to-day has become such a mess that it's not even worth complaining about anymore.
this week i had a dream i was sitting on the beach with ian mackaye, and he was teaching me keyboard shortcuts on my imac, which was just plopped into the sand.
tuesday i had lunch with tim hugh and erik nakamura, the owner of the giant robot chain of toy culture stores and magazine. wednesday night, stephanie and jason came to the shop to run through some guitar parts.
some of the rest of the week was spent exchanging emails with a movie star who had offered to buy one of my basses. he was very gracious, and we came to the agreement that my bass, while interesting, was not in 'collector's condition', and thus not worth the amount i had hoped to get for it. so now i still have this bass.
the dudes are still working at the house, so the second floor is still empty of furniture, and the holes in the walls are almost all fixed. the electricity is on.
i had planted beans in cups at work, and those came up this week. friday afternoon, i hung some metal frames on a brick wall out back at TBM, to act as trellises when the beans get tall enough.
thursday and friday, we printed posters for a special event. the prints are a surprise for the owner of the business, and will be for sale after next weekend.
thursday night we had dinner in downtown evanston with john and christy. we planned on riding our bikes, but the rain started pouring while we were still in the yard with our bikes. we gave up and hopped in the car. j &c were about half way to the restaurant when the rain hit, so we were all pretty soaked at the table, but dinner was excellent.
friday night we watched 'pretty in pink' an 'breakfast at tiffany's', for posters that i and di, respectively, am doing. whoa, grammar.
today, saturday, di and i woke at 5:50, and got up to take seth for a walk. i had seen that there was a garage sale nearby, but no garage sale was present at the address when we arrived. we were surprised and shaken by the cold temps this morning, despite the clear skies and sun. returning home, we left seth and went downtown to grocery shop, sat at unicorn cafe (di's new favorite space, where i worked on my PiP drawing), and shop for a few reference books. this afternoon i rode my bike to the old man hardware store on central to et some fittings for the rain barrels, and to pick up a switch for chuck the electrician, who was working today. di planted lettuce, i mended some garden hose, and then i finished reading 3001 (a.c.clark). we just ran to TBM to pick up some tools and lumber, and to bring the plants inside.
that's enough for this week.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
sunday at the house
sunday was spent at a couple garden centers and hardware stores, and then planting. we got four cypress trees for along the back fence, an apple tree for the middle of the back yard, a big bag of grass seed for the whole lawn, a bunch of pansies, four trillium plants, and (the big one) an oak tree which is arriving on thursday, which will be planted in the front yard. di got a hose reel, and i spent a couple hours, while motivated, cleaning the utility room in the basement. i also split the little bit of new firewood we've collected for this year. we laid out a tarp to start killing off the weeds in an area along the side of our yard where we'll be planting a prairie patch of aboriginal grasses. we started sunflowers in yogurt cups. i think that was all for sunday.
saturday, michigan to chicago
woke early, cold, in the lumpy bed with too few blankets. seth was up, looking at me. waiting.
i dressed, we went out for a walk, then went back to bed, clothed. this time i slept better, but only until about 8. chad had been up for 15 minutes when i came staggering down. i ate two peanut butter and banana sandwiches, an we started in on yard work.
i spent most of the morning splitting logs down near the waterline, and stacked the incredibly soaked wood to dry. chad went around the house digging up unwanted yucca plants, seeding new grass, and raking mole hills flat. we collaborated on a dramatic removal of a very large branch which had fallen but remained dangling above the driveway, out of easy reach. a lasso was involved, and some smashing.
seth went back into the house, n chad and i took the rowboat across the lake. we landed at the public access, dragged the boat on shore, and walked up and down the road. we were confronted by the white-trashiest of drunken women, who wanted to talk at us about a house that had burned down. a different woman told us to get away from the burned house, acting like we were 8 year olds. "you boys get away from that driveway, it might gonna collapse."
we rowed back across, and seth was so hapy to see us that he actually ran around for the first time since we had arrived. he ran big loops around the house, figure-8-ing his way through the yard, and back around the house.
we cleaned up the house, packed the car, and took off. it smattered rain on the way home, but we made great time, and dropped chad home around 5:30. seth and i went home.
saturday night, i don't remember, specifically. i think i stayed home with di.
i dressed, we went out for a walk, then went back to bed, clothed. this time i slept better, but only until about 8. chad had been up for 15 minutes when i came staggering down. i ate two peanut butter and banana sandwiches, an we started in on yard work.
i spent most of the morning splitting logs down near the waterline, and stacked the incredibly soaked wood to dry. chad went around the house digging up unwanted yucca plants, seeding new grass, and raking mole hills flat. we collaborated on a dramatic removal of a very large branch which had fallen but remained dangling above the driveway, out of easy reach. a lasso was involved, and some smashing.
seth went back into the house, n chad and i took the rowboat across the lake. we landed at the public access, dragged the boat on shore, and walked up and down the road. we were confronted by the white-trashiest of drunken women, who wanted to talk at us about a house that had burned down. a different woman told us to get away from the burned house, acting like we were 8 year olds. "you boys get away from that driveway, it might gonna collapse."
we rowed back across, and seth was so hapy to see us that he actually ran around for the first time since we had arrived. he ran big loops around the house, figure-8-ing his way through the yard, and back around the house.
we cleaned up the house, packed the car, and took off. it smattered rain on the way home, but we made great time, and dropped chad home around 5:30. seth and i went home.
saturday night, i don't remember, specifically. i think i stayed home with di.
Monday, April 21, 2008
friday, to michigan
friday i woke and packed a couple things in my bag. packed some food for seth an took his bed. we loaded the car and took off for wally's, to get the oil changed. while the car was on the lift, seth and i walked over to lawrence & pulaski to get a chai. the car was done when we got back.
we picked up chad from his condo near wally's and headed south on 90/94, onto the skyway, and into michigan. stopped for lunch and the bathroom, and seth didn't eat his food, so i left half of it for a stray cat i saw lurking in the reeds at the edge of the parking lot. as soon as we were in the car, the cat was eating the food.
we stopped at saint julain winery, and did some grocery shopping at the market. seth waited in the car
a bit later we were at chad and chris' new cabin, on a 160something acre lake in southwestern michigan. house was built in 1974, decorated, kept very clean, and sold 33 years later, furnished. the plates and bedsheets are amazing.
we ran out to the hardware stores in town to pick up some screws and parts we needed for some of the unanticipated repairs. the second store we went to seemed oddly familiar to me - i walked in and was sure i had been here before, but thought this was preposterous. as we left, i realized we were across the street from a place that john, christy, diana and i had parked when we rode our bikes on the trail to lake michigan a couple years ago. we had been in this hardware store to get trail permits.
back at the house, we installed a new exterior outlet on the foundation on the back of the house. i repaired the screen door on the front, which had been more or less ripped from it's hinges at some point by wind, apparently. we did some yard work, and collected downed branches.
eventually got the steaks out of the fridge, started the grill, microwaved the potatoes, and gave seth a new bone from the meat counter at the grocery store. dinner was awesome.
after dinner, we started a fire in the fire pit to burn the downed branches. sat by the fire until a bit after midnight, then went to bed.
we picked up chad from his condo near wally's and headed south on 90/94, onto the skyway, and into michigan. stopped for lunch and the bathroom, and seth didn't eat his food, so i left half of it for a stray cat i saw lurking in the reeds at the edge of the parking lot. as soon as we were in the car, the cat was eating the food.
we stopped at saint julain winery, and did some grocery shopping at the market. seth waited in the car
a bit later we were at chad and chris' new cabin, on a 160something acre lake in southwestern michigan. house was built in 1974, decorated, kept very clean, and sold 33 years later, furnished. the plates and bedsheets are amazing.
we ran out to the hardware stores in town to pick up some screws and parts we needed for some of the unanticipated repairs. the second store we went to seemed oddly familiar to me - i walked in and was sure i had been here before, but thought this was preposterous. as we left, i realized we were across the street from a place that john, christy, diana and i had parked when we rode our bikes on the trail to lake michigan a couple years ago. we had been in this hardware store to get trail permits.
back at the house, we installed a new exterior outlet on the foundation on the back of the house. i repaired the screen door on the front, which had been more or less ripped from it's hinges at some point by wind, apparently. we did some yard work, and collected downed branches.
eventually got the steaks out of the fridge, started the grill, microwaved the potatoes, and gave seth a new bone from the meat counter at the grocery store. dinner was awesome.
after dinner, we started a fire in the fire pit to burn the downed branches. sat by the fire until a bit after midnight, then went to bed.
thursday, later.
yann came by the shop a little after 5, and we went to shallots, the kosher french restaurant half a block from TBM. the food was good, but 15% too pricey. i'd go there again, no problem, for a special occasion. we spent some time back at the shop, i gave him the grand tour, and we talked about the upcoming chicago international poster biennial a lot. we drove back to my house, so he could see the work we're doing, with the walls all open upstairs, and then i dropped him at his apartment in evanston, where he goes to visit sarah, since she's in school at kellog.
i headed down to logan square via the highway, which was mercifully clear, despite the two-lane reduction. 'my chemical romance' was playing at the congress theater, and had just let out as i arrived, so parking was easy, and the kids were hilarious and sad. i went to the gallery next door, where daniel danger's band was playing. the door guy recognized me, and i found daniel. we walked down to CVS for a coke and a candybar, and upon returning, found john w there talking to the other guys in daniel's band. john and i sat and talked in the basement while daniel's band, city safe from water (?), set up. i sat off to the side, right up at the front, when they played, an they were quite good. i'd go see them again. xan texted me during the show telling me to swing by.
after they played, i said goodnight to the folks and headed out. my car was much further than i had remembered it. xan & andrew's place looked dark, so i didn't stop in, just headed home.
i headed down to logan square via the highway, which was mercifully clear, despite the two-lane reduction. 'my chemical romance' was playing at the congress theater, and had just let out as i arrived, so parking was easy, and the kids were hilarious and sad. i went to the gallery next door, where daniel danger's band was playing. the door guy recognized me, and i found daniel. we walked down to CVS for a coke and a candybar, and upon returning, found john w there talking to the other guys in daniel's band. john and i sat and talked in the basement while daniel's band, city safe from water (?), set up. i sat off to the side, right up at the front, when they played, an they were quite good. i'd go see them again. xan texted me during the show telling me to swing by.
after they played, i said goodnight to the folks and headed out. my car was much further than i had remembered it. xan & andrew's place looked dark, so i didn't stop in, just headed home.
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