It's our first Cat Show.

Currently I am in bed trying to fight off a cold that came upon me in full force today. On Saturday I began to feel a bit of oddness in my throat, then yesterday I lost my voice and today I just feel pretty crappy, so I after an attempt at work, I decided to just head back home and do my best at getting better. In case you forget, being sick sucks.

But have no fear! I currently am sipping some jasmine tea that "blossoms" in the mug, given to me by my friend Charlie...



...out of my "Hell Yes" mug, given to me by Linsey which is modeled after the piece of art on the side of the New Museum in the Bowery.



And! I have stories from my weekend, pre sore throat.

Friday night I thought I was originally supposed to go the Mutiny down the street to see some friends perform with their band, but typical Davin style, I had the dates messed up and the band was to perform on Thursday. So! Christina went about searching the reader for things to do... and what did she come across? Well, of course, a "Cat Show" at the Rosemont Convention Center. This was something to be seen, especially since I had recently watched a documentary on people who show Ferrets and found myself particularly fascinated by animal showing... so ordinary house cats? I'm in!

It was everything you would imagine. Lots of cat shirts and cages covered with glittery fabric.
We were certainly the outsiders with not much knowledge about the events but we asked questions and fawned over people's fancy felines... we managed to come away with a bit of insight. The breed being shown that evening was the Ragdoll breed, so we actually only saw one type of cat... but actually that was pleanty. :)

Here are a few pics.


Patriotic Ragdolls!


Glamour Ragdoll!


Groom your Ragdoll! (ps, this lady was our favorite because she told us she didn't play the political cat showing game. oh snap.)


Caged Ragdolls!


Fake Ragdoll!?


A Ragdoll tribute!


Judge a Ragdoll.


Tell a story and judge a Ragdoll!


Judge a Ragdoll in Kimono!


Take notes on a Ragdoll!


Buy a Ragdoll a Tree!

and finally...


Get yourself a "Meow" tshirt that sparkles!

After all this excitement we had worked up quite the appetite. Jessica had suggested we go to Butterfly Sushi Bar and Thai, so we did and it was a delight.

My fortune cookie read like this:


"You will get it all done."
So, that was nice to know. Sometimes I worry about getting things done.

After sushi/thai we headed off to a party at the Mars Gallery for a bit and then I ended the night meeting up with some other friends and dancing until the wee hours. I think this may be the cause of my sore throat, but I'm pretending otherwise and justifying staying out too late.

Saturday I spent some time laying low and catching up around the house, with my regular trip to Target. I had a gig on Saturday evening, so I made my way over to Lakeview to sing in the dark as it was earth hour.

Sunday was more of the same as the sickness started to set in.

Now it is Monday and raining and I'm sick and I think I will try and do some napping as this blog post took me way too long.

Cheers!

It's been so long.

Sorry I have been missing for the last couple of days. My only excuse is sheer laziness because things have been quiet at work and in life... a welcomed switch.

My good news for you is this.

I have muzik!

Here is my muxtape (http://gangofone.muxtape.com)

If you haven't made one yet, I would encourage you to do so. It is very simple and it streams right from the webpage so you can share it with you friends and they don't have to download anything. I actually spent most of my day yesterday compiling some songs I have been listening to lately, so this should be some sort of reflection of that.

On a completely different note (pun intended), I'm considering a chiropractor. I used to go to the chiropractor when I was much younger and I know people have all sorts of ideas about whether or not chiropractors serve a real purpose, but even with my beloved memory foam and such I am still have upper back and neck issues. I pretty much think this would be solved if I actually worked out and moved around in a way other than sitting at my desk, but given the fact that I live in excess and I'm lazy I think I will start with a back cracker to see if I can get things sorted out. Unfortunately, I called my insurance yesterday to get their take on the situation and in an effort to explain to me the potential charges, the kind Blue Cross Blue Shield lady totally confused me. It seems that there are many ways in which the chiropractor could charge me for things that insurance wouldn't cover, but basically I wouldn't know this until after they did it? All in all I think this conversation added more stress and tension to my shoulders and back.

I have the opportunity to do some fun things in the next coupla weeks.
I will see Cat Power and John Legend next week.
I will go dancing tonight.
I will sleep in on Saturday morning.

And then it was Monday.

Oh, friends. Where do the weekends go? I why do they go so quickly. I find it completely frustrating that I am already back in the work seat, but such is life... and such it will be for many years to come.

Try and not be depressed by that.

I was exhausted yesterday afternoon/evening. I really overextended myself over the last four days. I sang large amounts of music on Thursday - Sunday and didn't realize that the Catholic service I was singing in on Saturday was the culmination of the Catholic calendar so it lasted well over two hours and apparently can sometimes last up to four? Well, now I know and all I can say is that I earned my paycheck.

Thursday I took off from work a bit early, as it was the beginning of spring break for our students and it was quiet so we were sent a packin' by my boss. I'd been jonesin' for a haircut, but as is typical Davin, I hadn't planned so I tried to get into a couple uppety places at the last minute... but no such luck. So, I decided I should sit tight until I walked pass "Klassy Kuts". I saw and older eastern European man and woman just sitting at the desk just staring at me as I looked back at them. I decided to give it a go. It is essentially a little barber shop, and I just asked my Russian lady barber to give me a clean up (for fear that she would make me militariesque. She pulled out this HUGE pic and a pair of clippers and went to town. I have to say it is a lovely haircut that I am pleased with and it only cost me $12! Who knew?

Oh, and we had a snowstorm on Friday so my trip back from Michigan was filled with the fear that we simply might not make it as we were literally stuck in a traffic jam that didn't move for a half an hour near Benton Harbor. But alas, we made it back to the city.

After the hellalong service on Saturday night I had the lucky privilege of catching up with Adrianne and her bf. They were in from NYC for the weekend and we enjoyed a late night dinner at Andie's in Andersonville. She and I do just a terrible job of keeping in touch, but I just adore her and the familiarity we have with one another is kinda creepy... as though no time ever passes even if it really is passing more quickly than I can keep up with.

After singing at the easter service yesterday, I had a lovely laugh filled easter brunch with some friends. I laughed enough to be completely exhausted by the time I got home. I spent the remainder of my afternoon/evening convincing myself that it was ok to be still and fall in and out of sleep.

Today things are quiet on all fronts. I am in between school as it is "spring break" which for me isn't really a break, but alas, I'm not going to class. Rehearsal resume tomorrow for future gigs and I have plans for some fun non obligatory things this week. I'm just aching for spring. I really am.

Here we are having an impromptu omelet brunch in my regularly empty dining room.


(please note my hyacinth and that I'm wearing sweatpants.)

Easter Basket?

Voila, you've got yourself a latte.

I think it might be time to craft a new heading for my blog as I would like to think in terms of spring now rather than winter... although today looks spring like outside, but still feels winter and rumor has it that tonight will totally be winter with snow and the works.

ugh.

It feels a bit like Friday today although for me it is definitely still Thursday. I work for a Catholic University so I have the privilege of getting good Friday off, but unfortunately my obligations will be cramping my day off style. But, for my coworkers it is indeed Friday and we celebrated by having a heavy heavy lunch of deep dish pizza from Baccinos. I limited myself to a single slice as I'm pretty sure a coma would have over taken had I have eaten more. It really is the heaviest and most ridiculous food a person could eat, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Afterwards at a quick stop at Starbucks my coworker taught me how you can simply get shots of espresso on the cheap and then fill it with the half and half Starbucks offers for free. Voila, you've got yourself a latte.

Jessica says that Appalachian chic is the new hipster, or so she observed at south by southwest. I'm trying to figure out how this would ever fit into my wardrobe choices and I just can't imagine. I'm afraid I will forever be of the short haired population so no long and scruffy dos for me... but I can contribute my beard.

I will see the parents this evening. I'm looking forward to that.

This is my favorite youtube video of today.

In the woods or by the sea

*yawn*

It is Wednesday and I find myself wishing it was Sunday afternoon because then my obligations for the week would be complete. Actually, many of my obligations for the Spring will be complete after this weekend.

I had a wonderful little Thai dinner with David Jacob last night at my neighboring work haunt called Noodles in the Pot. He told me it was the first place he ever had Thai food which I interpreted as meaning that he was having Thai food for the first time last night... which seemed astounding, but I realized when he first moved to Chicago a number of years ago. This got me thinking about when *I* first had Thai food and I think it was at Oberlin at the oddly wonderful sort of Thai fusion restaurant we had there. Of course, only Oberlin with its small town status in Ohio would be able to expose me to Thai food. It is funny to think back about the things I didn't know when I entered that place. I also had my first falafel there and thank God for that as I would probably be starved and crying somewhere now if I didn't know about the splendid treat that is falafel.

Anyway, we caught up after not seeing each other for a number of months and I was thinking how the mere notion of Spring makes people want to reconnect and start moving again. I feel this way at least.

Yesterday I received in the mail my Frommer's Guide to New England, as I will be traveling that direction in a few weeks. I got more and more excited as I thumbed through the pages and imagined driving through green mountains and actually having a view of the ocean. Chicago is the epitome of flat and to spend of some time in hills will do this Michigan boy some good. I think I feel most confused about whether to spend more time in the woods or by the sea and I know both will be beautiful.

Tonight I have my final exam for my class and I have spent such little time studying that I feel rather sheepish about even taking it. I intended to "hit the books" last night after dinner but my apartment was such a mess and the remainder of my week will not allow me to clean it before my parents come that I had no choice but to fold laundry and such last night until I collapsed into bed. Oh well, I will pray that the knowledge I gained through osmosis will somehow rise to the surface during the exam.

You should see my hyacinth now.

bye.

Look at mah flowers now.

I didn't take a picture this morning, but my hyacinth is in full bloom and making my kitchen smell sweet as spring. Too bad it looks outside as though winter and spring had and illegitimate child and called it grey nasty rainy ness.

Last night, Tina and I had a wonderful little dinner at Ping Pong, which I'll admit that I've spent much time dissing because of its scene-e-ness, but on a Monday night the scene was mild and the food was delish. Quite affordable too. We enjoyed too much Asian cuisine and then made our way over to see "The Band's Visit", which was cute and well made. I wasn't thrilled with it... but that may have been because my tummy was full and my eyelids were heavy. It certainly captures the feeling of awkward and addresses some tensions in the middle east.

Barack Obama has given a speech today that I'm not sure any politician has given or had to give for many many years. Basically a speech about race and I begin to admire this man more and more. He speaks my language... or the language I want to speak. His speeches convey that he sees a broader context and for me that is what America is about, but in the last years it seems as though we have turned more and more inward.

Here are some highlights (as highlighted by NY Magazine)

• "For as long as I live I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible," he explained, referencing the slave ancestry in his wife and daughter's heritage.
• He exclusively referred to Reverend Wright as his "former pastor." He also conceded that he had heard him sermonize controversial ideas but compared it to the many Americans who have heard similar things from their own priests, rabbis, and religious leaders. He called Wright's opinion "a profoundly distorted view of this country."
• But he added that "[Wright's church] embodies the black community in its entirety." He read a passage from his book, Dreams From My Father, that explained his first experience in the Trinity United Church.
• "As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith," Obama explained. "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother, a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who pass her on the street." [OMG! That's just like our white grandmother!]
• He explained the roots of the quiet anger still simmering in middle-class black families over the social injustices of the twentieth century and compared it to the frustration of similar white families. "The anger is real, it is powerful," he said. "And to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, serves only to widen the chasm of understanding between the races."
• Obama also reminded listeners of his main campaign message: "The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about profound racism in our society, it's that he spoke of our problems as if it was static." After a long pause, he continued. "We know, because we have seen, that America can change. What we have already seen has given us hope, and the audacity to hope."
• He closed by challenging voters and the press not to defer discussions over race to a later date, but to face them now in order to come together to solve larger problems. "The children in America are not 'those people's kids,'" he said, raising his voice. "They are our kids."

In other political news, Alan Greenspan was quoted yesterday as saying:

"The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War. The crisis will leave many casualties."

We live in interesting times. I think I am most curious about the ways in which I will feel the impact of this all. I was saying yesterday that financially I don't know that I feel the recession yet, but I wonder in what ways I will.

Not the yuppie.

Everyone was drunk this weekend. Everywhere I went.
I left for the train at 11:30am on Saturday morning and all of my fellow train riders were drunk and then I remembered it is St. Patrick's day weekend and that is what white people in the city do on St. Patrick's day weekend is get drunk.

It makes a fellow kind of want to just stay in and pretend he's not a yuppie.

So in an act of sheer badassity my Friday evening was filled with a dreaded trip to the gym and then a rousing round of grocery shopping. I actually quite enjoyed the latter (not so much the former) as I was tired and I got paid and I haven't had food in my house in months... so it was the right thing to do. I spent $100 trying to fill up my kitchen again. I also managed to pick up a smelly spring flower that I thought was going to be $6.99 but I think the girl at the register messed it up and only charged me $.99. She went on and on about how I got a good deal and I was just thinking how she is the reason I got a good deal and she doesn't even know it.
Oh well!

It is a Hyacinth and I feel amazed at how quickly it has bloomed.
Day 1:



Day 2:


It smellz good, too.

You might not actually know this about me but I am very good with plants. I don't know exactly why but my plants never die on me. I have given them plenty of opportunity to do so... trust me... they should be dead, but they live and live and live. I attribute part of this to my ability to ignore them for the appropriate amount of time. I also think that part of it is that I do a good job of buying plants that are hardy. I actually purchased some plants recently for our office here at work and these plants definitely should not be alive given their living conditions, but wouldn't you know, they are prospering under the fluorescent lights.

*breathes on finger nails*

The remainder of the weekend was full of more random events that I can't even really recount. I just know that I ended up very tired on my couch yesterday evening watching art videos by Bernard Willhelm that I got as a supplement to a magazine I purchased.

I have quite the week ahead of me.
A final exam, a trip to Michigan, and four performances of sorts.

ok!

I just got off the phone with Verizon, because I went to pay my bill and realized that my phone bill is nearly $100. The thing I also realized is that because I live in Illinois and Chicago I pay about $12 in taxes each month. $12! That is a lot of money for extra taxes on my cell phone. Anyway, I had 900 minutes and it turns out for the last few months I have not used more than 350 minutes, so even though the next step down (450 minutes) seems problematic, I'm going to go for it because it will cost me 30 less dollars a month. JUST FYI!

I think this brings me to a greater issue in that, as I get older I like to talk on the phone less and less. I think many of my friends know this about me, but it is hard for me to get into phone talking mode because inevitably I get distracted and then I am not giving my full attention and then when I am done with the conversation I feel bad about that. This is actually the worst with my parents because phone is the primary way communicate and I used to be very good about it, but lately I can rarely muster up the energy and when I do I am not a good conversationalist. I don't know what this all means exactly, but just some sort of shift in the way I'm livin' these days. I'd rather have the in person time, or I can send a nice email when I am wasting time at work.

Yesterday was a truly beautiful day. The first real day of spring, I will claim. In the 50's and sunny and in true midwestern fashion people were running around with shorts on etc. It definitely gave me the itch to get back on my bicycle even though I haven't done so since my accident in the fall. I'm curious to see what sort of nerves will come into play.

I feel so disinterested in this political sex scandal going on, and it is invading every news source I frequent. I love also how the hooker's myspace picture has come into play. I'm over it. Move on. get him out of office and move on.

Yesterday I read three different times on three different blogs about a band called Alopecia, which is a funny name for a band, but I thought to myself that if people were mentioning them in these different places then they must be a new hype band and so I downloaded.
meh.
Maybe I need to spend some more time with my hairless friends, but I wasn't that into it.
I'm on a quest to find something good and interesting. I think I will dedicate some time today to that.

Maybe if I were at sxsw like Jessica, I would be learning more.
Actually, nevermind... I just realized that we live in the future and now I can watch videos from the festival and I remembered Grand Ole Party. I just found this video of them from sxsw.


Grand Ole Party at the Levi's®/FADER Fort from The FADER on Vimeo.

A happy weekend to you.

Today, oh today.

Today is crazy.
I imagine I wont talk to you throughout the day if you're my friend because I don't really have the time. I have a huge project at work and a paper to write for class tonight and a million other personal tasks to complete.

The short of it all is:

I hauled up the huge air conditioner that Linsey gave me last night because my landlady insisted it be removed from the basement. I had to take the smaller one out of the closet and so now that sits in the middle of my dining room floor. I need to sell it on craigslist, I suppose?
I have to go Michigan sometime soon to get a driver's license. Don't ask me why.
Oh, well one of the reasons why is that I am going out east in April and I have to rent a car and I need a driver's license. Don't ask me why I have to go to Michigan to get it.
I had lovely dinner and drinks with Jeff B last night at small bar. I don't see him nearly enough.
I also spoke with Tim B on the phone and it was good to catch up. He always tells me to call, but I hate talking on the phone these days so I put it off but it is always good to check in.

Now I'm printing thousands of pages.

Yesterday I scurried off from work a little early to make a visit to my dreaded dentist, only to discover I have a new dentist! This was great news because although my old dentist seemed like a nice enough fellow, he royally messed up my teeth in the past and the last time we met he had braces, which on 50 something man is kinda strange in my book? But this Dr. seemed with it and like he cared about my pain... so if I can get sympathy? I'm in!

No, he spent some time with me only to tell me that everything looked fine and I might just have a bit of time where I'll be healing? I dunno, but I went home and ate thin crust pizza only to have to take ibuprofen for the pain that occurred from munching on the crust.
ugh.

I left the dentist a little after five and rode the bus home in the sunlight which is a nice change of pace that one can attribute to the time change. It really changes my outlook on life when I am not spending all time outside of work in the dark. After a quick stop at Target I ventured home to spend the rest of the evening dealing with taxes, and my website. It was a good "me" night and I feel like I was able to be productive and get good things done.

In crazy land lady news, she called me yesterday to tell me that the "guy upstairs" (which let me preface this by saying that his name is Victor and he has lived above me for three years and we knows each other so for her to say the "guy upstairs" is step one in weirdness) saw a mouse. SO! she starts questioning me about what "shape my apartment is in" which I guess implies that I might be dirty? but continues to tell me how she has to start in the basement and so I needed to move everything which basically constitutes me moving one air conditioner and my bicycle? The basement is huge, so I hardly see how moving my air conditioner and bicycle will help the mouse hunt? So, I get home and Victor comes down to tell me how he saw a mouse and he stayed up all night with a hockey stick in his hand in case the mouse came out again (I guess a mouse is a big deal for him). He told me that he called the landlady and said the apartment would be emptied unless she took care of this problem immediately. He also told me that she said she'd have "her people" take care of it (she ALWAYS has her people "take care" of things) but she needed to talk to me first so he wanted to give me a heads up that she might accuse me or something.

Too late!

Whatever.
She crazy!

But, my rent is cheap!

bfn!

SPAM

Today I received a piece of spam with the subject reading:

"THIS IS WHY YOU'RE FAT"


I couldn't bare to look at the reason.

Another weekend done.

The best news in the whole wide world is that today and tomorrow I am not obligated to do anything during the evening hours and I have so many little plans around the apartment and at home. The least amazing news in the whole wide world is that I have had a dull ache in my tooth ever since I got the cavity filled last week so I am headed back to the dentist today to see what they tell me I need to do. I fear the worst!

I had a lovely and somewhat relaxing weekend, even given the terrible snowy weather. We didn't get the storms that they did in the east, but we had our fair share of flakes falling from the sky. I sang with the William Ferris Chorale on Friday to a somewhat disappointing audience, but it was a well received concert nonetheless. I then spent some time with Robin and Dave celebrating Robin's birthday with margaritas and chips! It was a lovely evening that ended with deep sleep. Saturday I spent some time photographing a new friend and then had sometime to myself during the afternoon to clean up a bit around the apartment. The evening was occupied with the perfect movie which I would name but I'm slightly embarrassed, which I shouldn't be because I should have already established on this blog that I have terrible taste and no shame but if you want to know THE PERFECT MOVIE you'll have to ask me in person. Sunday was singing and brunch and dinner and sleep.

This morning because the bus came all too quickly (imagine that) and I couldn't make it to say hi to my "easy easy" dunkin' donuts lady I had to resort to the mcdonalds across the street from work for my coffee. Upon purchase I realized that they had these terrible looking yogurt parfait things that I decided to give a swing at... and wouldn't you know, they are a-ok. two thumbs up for the yogurt parfait that only cost me $1!

I am missing home these days.
Pretty hardcore.
The parents will be here next week.
I'm thinking about taking them to brunch at the Signature Lounge. We did that before and they loved it so I think I would like to do it again.

Bye for now.

A couple ideas I've had

I was telling friends recently that I was in Borders and this guy came up the escalator when all of the sudden I heard Madonna's "Hung Up" playing loudly. I realized it was his phone ringer and I thought to myself... "aren't you embarrassed by the that?" I think this might be an idea for a tv show... or at least an ongoing list of moments when around others and you think "aren't you embarrassed by the that?"

I've also been wondering what are some things that people do that they didn't used to do.

For me, two examples are:

Eat Mustard.
I never used to like mustard and now I can't get enough. I like it in all forms too, the cheap yellow mustard to the hifalutin burn your nose off kind.

Use exclamation points!
I used to think that exclamation points were silly and not necessary, but now I think they are cute and ironic, although I imagine those who read my words dripped in exclamation think they are annoying.

go!

Some thoughts out my head.

Where is this week?

This has been a slow blogging week, but for good reason. My time has been occupied with other points of interest.

In short, on Wednesday I gave my first presentation since entering studenthood and I think it went well? When our group sat down people clapped and said "good job" and I know that is the polite thing to do, but it seemed legitimate so I will take it at that. It is amazing how silly nervous I was. Knees shakin', and the works.

Thursday was a busy day at work, with a goodbye lunch for a no-longer-current employee and then a hectic afternoon of trying to get work done. Afterwards I headed to Borders to kill and hour or so before my rehearsal. I'm kind of obsessed with doing this. The problem is that there are only a certain number of periodicals that come out each month so once I get a few weeks in there are no more magazines of interest to read.

I also have made a habit of eating Jamba Juice and a "protein pretzel stick" for a meal... which frankly sounds disgusting when written in blog form, but I think it is the perfect meal. A big
ole bucket of fruit and a stick of protein that tastes like pizza? Count me in.

I feel like I may be running out of things of interest to say.

Do you all know about the Astronomy picture of the day? http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
I have been interested by it lately.
We are so small.



Take that into your weekend.

The blogs keepah postin'

Ok, sorry for being MIA for a coupla days. I received to sweet little instant messages from friends asking me if I was alright, which is sort of funny if you think about it, but also very kind and nice to know it matters when your internet presence is missing?

There's no real story other than that I took two days to pull myself together.
It was nice and now my floors are mopped and my furniture sits differently within my apartment.

I set up a little desk area in the corner of my dining room because I realized I needed a work space. This is difficult because I have this good sized apartment, but in some ways it is so open that there aren't many walls to set things against, so I had to rethink my space. I believe I have come up with a solution which was much necessary as now my role of student requires me actually accomplishing things at home. I found myself either in bed (the most perfectly unproductive place to be) or on the couch in front of the tv and this just wasn't working out for me. So, now I have a space with a lamp and an uncomfortable chair to sit for a bit and get things done... and just like that I have completed my huge project for school today. Its quality, I'm not sure of, but I felt much better about the act of working on it.

The weekend was a whirrrr.

Friday night I stayed in and worked as I had gone out on Thursday and had to be up quite early on Saturday morning to take pictures of a couple of friends. After finishing the photos I took off up to Andersonville to visit the closing of the group show I was/am in. Unfortunately, no on really came so we just kind of hung out and watched videos on youtube. Eventually, Tina made her way by and we decided to go to borders where she could read magazines and I could continue to work on school work. After a while Jessica joined us and we managed to make our way up to Tank noodle for some Vietnamese dining. Sunday was quit non-stop as I did my usual Sunday morning singing and then killed a couple hours taking photos around River North. I then hiked my way up to Andersonville where I had another rehearsal, which was followed by the trek back downtown where I met with my group from class until the late hours of the evening. Too much, I tell ya. Sunday is a day of rest, is it not?

In politics, I must say I feel slightly surprised about the results in Texas and Ohio, but I feel confident that the right democratic candidate will prevail. I love this quote they keep playing on the news where Hillary is on The Daily Show and John Stewart points out that it is the eve before one of the most important days of her life (save child birth and marriage) and she has decided to spend it with him. Her response? "It is pretty pathetic isn't it." Thanks for that Hill.