How would you like your knife sharpened?
Got dull knives? The Wooden Spoon cooking store in Andersonville (in Chicago) will sharpen your dull knife for about two bucks. Not a bad deal! Just bring your knives there on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. And they have great cooking classes. http://www.woodenspoonchicago.com/our_shop.htm
Cool Globes exposé
Last night, I had dinner with my cousin Jess and friend Rob, who is visiting from Chattanooga, TN (I love just saying Chattanooga). But first, I met them at a warehouse tucked away off of Irving Park Road, where they gave me a behind the scenes look at the cool globes they’re creating for the er, Cool Globes public art exhibit coming to the Chicago lakefront this summer. While trying to control my panic at the possibility of having a mouse spring forth from one of the many dark corners of the ‘house, I learned many great things.
1. I am not an artist.
Every bleeding one of my photos is blurry. The universe has already denied me the ability to draw or paint or make anything look presentable, but does it have to mock me so? Can I at least photo document artistic talent? Can it at least grant me the wherewithall to use a flash when needed, and focus once in a while? Is that too much to ask? Here is just a sample. It’s a globe, in case you can’t tell. grrrr
2. Artists are very environmentally conscious.
Now we all know artists often provide the passion that fuels a movement. Hence, who is better qualified to raise consciousness about our global warming issue? And as you can see, this artist is putting 110% toward the cause. These discarded socks have clearly been worn for at least a week, maybe two, and this frugality in the laundering department conserves water and other precious resources. If you’re going to make a statement, you may as well say it with gusto.
3. Confetti is timeless.
You may think of confetti as a design element that came and went in the 90s. Not so, my friends. Here confetti is not only alive and well, but this artist envisions a world literally covered with colorful confetti. Isn’t it fun? Whimsical even? My only question: is the confetti made of 100% recycled paper? In any case, when you think about it, the confetti falling into the earth’s oceans is acutally genius, because the confetti will get soggy and you’ll have the pulp needed to make paper all over again. Brilliant!
4. Artists are incredibly handy and industrious.
Again, because I am amazingly inept with a camera, I somehow lost the shot of this artist’s homemade level used to help draw the parallels. It was a really genius contraption and looked like an IV machine at the hospital, with a bag of water and clear tubing. It was super technical, and I have no idea how they ever thought to do that, for my brain just doesn’t work that way. That is most likely why I don’t have the faintest clue of what this roll of duct tape on a string is for, but I can safely assume it’s doing SOMETHING. This person is full of solutions, and as you know, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. But clearly, this person is not that. Because they are a problem solver.
5. Jess and Rob rock!
In all seriousness, I was really blown away by all of the globes, especially Jess and Rob’s. This is not due to any sort of bias or Chicago-bred nepotism, but really, just because they both are very talented painters. I can’t wait to go trek out to the lakefront and find their finished globes in the coming months. And although it’s probably mortifying and gauche to have someone reveal your work before it’s completed, here’s a sneak peek at their progress.
Jess’ theme: Green investing. I love the brilliant green and blue colors so far, and here is some inspiration for the flowers that will be gracing the grass.
Rob’s theme: Emissions trading (or cap and trade). How do you make industry beautiful? I have no idea, but Rob does it.
Also, here’s another cool mosaic globe I can’t wait to see completed.
And that Asher Lev, I hope he completes his globe someday.
Anyway, thanks to Jess and Rob for the Cool Globes tour! And Rob, I can’t wait to see if you successfully fought that urge to secretly paint “Al Gore is a douche” or “Die polar bears, die” into the side of yours.
Bat boy
God, American Idol has been totally jamming my Separated at Birth? radar lately. There are so many good look alikes this season! First the Muppet Melinda and Gilbert Gottfried, now Phil Stacey and Bat Boy! Who knew that the Weekly World News was right when they said, Bat Boy Lives!! Maybe Bigfoot really is a salsa expert?
Phil Stacey has also been brilliantly compared to Powder, but I can’t seem to get his uncanny resemblance to Bat Boy out of my mind. Right down to the ears, I tell ya.
Even though he’s wearing a hat on stage, I can assure you, Phil’s head is as barren and penis like as Bat Boy’s smooth, shiny noggin. Poor Phil.
Tuna Fish or Tuna Salad?…discuss amongst yourselves
I think it’s a matter of where you are from. I can’t say tuna salad, it’s just sounds weird, it’s sounds too wet or something. It sounds like someone is using an ice-cream scooper to scoop the mushy tuna out of a metal tray onto a paper plate. Chicken salad, seafood salad, egg salad, shrimp salad, those are all okay, in fact, delicious, if made right. To me it’s a “tuna fish” sandwich, or just tuna sandwich. Canned tuna is one of those things I do not want to eat if it’s not nicely cushioned between 2 pieces of bread (preferably toast). I do not care for a scoop of tuna on a bed of lettuce. In fact, please don’t scoop meat and fish items onto my plate, the scooper is reserved for ice-cream (or melon balls if it’s a small scooper). I have really only heard this “tuna salad” in the midwest here.
By the way, my Dad makes the best tuna fish ever! Celery, onions, a little mayo, salt and pepper.
Wonder Twin powers… activate!
Yes, we’re back to one of my all time favorite passtimes, the Separated at Birth? game. Yeehaw. Miranda called it, and she’s so on the money with this one, it’s truly a thing of beauty. And the icing on the cake? It involves one of our favorite TV shows, American Idol, AND our pick to win it this season to boot. So, brace yourselves! For I give you Melinda Doolittle and…drum roll please…Gilbert Gottfried!! I know, I know, it doesn’t sound possible that these two share DNA, but they must at least share a crumb, because check it out!
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
We rest our case.
