Graffiti 27

My nameless friend has been busy. I find it slightly strange s/he only tags the ground.

“You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness." -Tertullian


"When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free." -Catherine Ponder

'Cowboys VS. Aliens' A Review

A man awakens in the desert alone, wounded, with an odd device strapped to his arm. The opening of 'Cowboys VS. Aliens.' The Daniel Craig character is kind of an homage to the man with no name. We don't find out he has a name until 45 minutes in or so. I wish we never found out his name. He goes into town starts some trouble, he can fight real good. Eventually Craig and Paul Dano, the son of the local cattle tycoon played by Harrison Ford, are coached out of town to the regional court. Lights appear in the sky and the aliens attack, people are stolen. Craig's arm band activates and he's able to bring down one of their ships. Ford and Craig team up and go after their people. That's the plot in a nut shell, there's not a lot to it.

The highlight of the movie is obviously all the action. It's a lot of fun watching Craig kick ass the whole time. But there is a lot of great supporting cast members: Paul Dano, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, and Olivia Wilde and of course that one nameless henchmen from 'The Departed'. Craig comes into town to try to find out who he is, the aliens attack, he figures they know who he is so he goes after them. Simple but fun. You can't go into this movie with a lot of expectations, it's called Cowboys VS. Aliens after all. If you're in the mood for a good action western meets SciFi flick.

See it.

Panang Curry: Taste Of Asia

Went to Taste Of Asia after seeing the Tribe documentary. It was OK, nothing really notable. The surprise ingredient this time was peas. I found that Panang is usually made with a meat, green and red peppers, and then some other fresh vegetable. Broccoli has been my favorite so far but I'll settle for peas. Overall this Panang was 'meh', not much to it. Would I go again?

Probably Not.

'Captain America' A Review

The plot line of Captain America is pretty well known I think. It takes place during WW2, America tries to invent a super solider to foil the Nazi's and Captain American is the result. This was by far my favorite super hero movie since Iron Man. The character development was the focus not the action. Chris Evans did a great job of playing a superhero with a heart and an agenda. I won't go in to detail but I would highly recommend it. The highlight for me was an extended propaganda scene where Captain America was a tool for the American war movement. He'd do theater shows with back up dancers. Eventually he realized he could do more.

See it.

Graffiti 26

"Those whom we can love, we can hate; to others we are indifferent." -Henry David Thoreau

Panang Curry: Jitlada Thai House

Went to Jitlada Thai House with Cate on Wednesday. The Panang was good not great. The sauce was a little thin but made up for it with fresh ingredients. String beans, basil, lemon grass, red and green peppers, and of course chicken. The chicken was plentiful which is always appreciated. Would I go again?

Sure, why not. But beware because it's right across the street from IHOP.

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

Our desires are clouded
dissipating quickly, after they form

Perfection is a flower blooming,
heat is its ruin

Friendship is at the heart.
Support me, lift me up.

Even in the heat we can feel cold,
Alone.

I appreciate you. I see your beauty.
You'll never be alone, I'm here.

Reach out.

Graffiti 25

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"The mind calculates but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows." -Stephen King

Panang Curry: Thai Classic

Went to Thai Classic with Punam today. There was no one in the restaurant which was kind of weird. The curry was good not great. The broth/sauce was thin but spicy. I appreciated the waitress not asking us 'how spicy we wanted it' you know on a scale of 1-5 or whatever. Just bring me the dish. It was spicy, had chicken of course, basil, green and red peppers. Over all I'd give it a B. Yeah it was good but it didn't impress me. There were no surprises, it was a pretty standard Panang. Would I go again?

Maybe.

Que Sera

By Julia

Girl: Mom? I'm scared.
Mom: Oh, sweetie. I checked your closet. There's nothing to be scared of.
Girl: No, mom. It's something else. I'm... I'm scared no one will ever love me.
Mom: Oh sweetie. I love you. Daddy loves you. Lots of people love you.
Girl: No, I mean... like a boy. I'm scared a boy will never love me and I'll die cold and alone and no one will discover my body until it's rotted into the floor of my cheap rental apartment because who needs all the space of a house when it's just you and your bird, and my body rot starts dripping through the floorboards onto my downstairs neighbors.
Mom: Darling, that's absurd. If you die alone of natural causes your body won't leak. It will decay, and your neighbor's dogs will notice the smell and start barking. This will prompt them to call the police.
Girl: Mom! I'm scared a boy will never love me. I'm scared of being alone.
Mom: Well, sweetie, even if a boy does love you, and stays around til death do you part, he might be the first to go and you still might die alone. And then your children will rifle through your things as if you're a Goodwill, not their dead, beloved mother. It's best not to worry about these things.
Girl: But daddy loves you
Mom: Daddy is bound to me by a cultural pressure to provide for the woman who spawned his progeny. If your father ever loved me, he stopped long ago, and developed an unhealthy obsession with Marion Cotillard and spends his nights watching YouTube clips of every time she shows her breasts in a movie, and sometimes he has cyber sex with lesbians in adult chat rooms under the screen name “wetpussy4MarionCotillard696969.” You see, sweetie, most people walk through life alone, or thinking they're alone, or stuck with someone terrible because they're scared to be alone. Rotting through the floor, though undignified and scientifically improbable, sounds like a refreshingly appropriate end to this miserable journey we call life.

Steve's Guide To The Mix Tape

(First three are from 'High Fidelity')

1. Start It Off With A Killer- Start it off with something great and upbeat.

2. Take It Up A Notch- Raise the stakes, something crazy or off the wall. Something intense.

3. Cool It Off- Take it down with some downbeat fav's.

4. Some Stuff You Like- Put on some songs you love that you think the person hasn't heard.

5. Some Stuff You Think They'll Like- Load the deck with a couple you feel confident the person will like.

6. Hide A Surprise- Put something on there they wouldn't expect and don't list it in the song breakdown.

7. Throw A Curve Ball- Put on a song you wouldn't expect the person to like but you really like.

8. The Theme Mix- Sometimes this can work but most of the time I don't think it does. I made a Blues mix once that was a real dud. Most of the time it comes off too forced, no flow. Make a mix of what you're into right now, that way when you listen to it later you'll have a little snap shot of that time in your life. If it's for someone else they'll have a good idea of who you are.

9. What You're Actually Trying To Say- If you're making someone a mix tape for a specific reason, lets say someone you have a crush on or for a friend to tell them how much you love them. put in a couple tracks that say that but don't over do it. At the end of the day you want to a make a mix the person will listen to repeatedly.

Graffiti 24

"Don't try to solve serious matters in the middle of the night. " -Philip K. Dick

"Everybody's a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos." -David Cronenberg

Archaic Torso of Apollo

We cannot know his legendary head
with eyes like ripening fruit. And yet his torso
is still suffused with brilliance from inside,
like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low,

gleams in all its power. Otherwise
the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could
a smile run through the placid hips and thighs
to that dark center where procreation flared.

Otherwise this stone would seem defaced
beneath the translucent cascade of the shoulders
and would not glisten like a wild beast’s fur:

would not, from all the borders of itself,
burst like a star: for here there is no place
that does not see you. You must change your life.
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Steve and Joey's Movie Corner

Subtitle: 'Midnight In Paris' A Review
Me: You ready to do this?
Joey: It's 11:59 my man!
Me: So Joey why did you think "Midnight In Paris" was so amazing
Joey: well, not for the first time, but for the first time in a while, Wood's has found a credible blend of whimsy and wisdom. or rather, the perfect blend
Me: I'm gonna stop you right there. For me there was no blending, the past stuff was great I loved it. Hemingway, Dali great. But Rachel Mc and her parents were so terrible it was like they weren't real people. I didn't believe her and Owen would even get to a second date let alone engagement.
Joey: okkaay! wait a second! First off, let me start by saying part of my first sentence was plagiarized
Me: Boo.
Joey: I was hopin' you were gonna catch me or be like, you didn't write that.
Me: I didn't think you'd actually use the word 'whimsy.'
Joey: I've used it before.
Me: When?
Joey: On dates a lot
Me: Chicks love it.
Joey: Chicks -fil-a.
Me: Good, so what's your defence.
Joey: You've never met anyone like those people?!
Me: I've met people kinda like those people but Rachel was so bitchy, so clueless, and so mean.
Joey: They're all over the place! Yeah, but she wasn't always like that, you know, they had fun together or whatever for awhile.
Me: We never see that in the movie, that's assumed.
Joey: But they've stuck together because of convenience/lifestyle etc. No, there's glimpses they laugh together at the beginning.
Me: Boohoo white privilege.
Joey: They're just tired of each other, I should be so lucky!
Me: What was your favorite part of the movie?
Joey: Ya know, like some of it was a little over the top (they're behavior), but it got us to feel what we needed to feel (good job Wood man!) Oh! Without a doubt there was this point...I'm watching the movie, and i realize I've got this big dopey smile on my face and I'm loving it but I kind of can't believe how much fun I'm having with this movie and I was worried, is this just me? because I love Woody Allen, etc. and then they cut back to the 20's at some carnival, or party or something.
Me: It's a party.
Joey: And you see Owen Wilson, and he's doing the Charleston and he's not doing it right, and it's sloppy, but he's having like the time of his life and that sealed it for me Owen Wilson man, he really kills that movie (good way).
Me: Sure, the saving grace for me was the time in the past and the celebrities they encountered and the fun actors who play them.
Joey: But also, the "real world" was fun though too.
Me: No it was lame. Hemingway, for me, saved the movie If I were to write it Owen would have been in the past the majority of the movie. Also, Owen's kinda a shlub which works in the past cause he's like everyman but in the present it's like milk toast.
Joey: Wait, what?
Me: Soaking toast in milk is how old people eat it. When they don't have teeth.
Joey: Agree 100% about Hemingway, and I would've liked to have seen way more of the 20's.
(referring to milk toast) That's like Owen Wilson in the present?
Me: Yeah.
Joey: How so, Truffaut? (movie corner) He's awesome! I'd totally be that guy's friend.
Me: Was (movie corner) an ending?
Joey: No, no just an explanation for my weak question. What do you mean milk toast though?Me: I might be his friend.
Joey: He wrote Transformers, his character.
Me: But by the nature of his character, he doesn't really offer anything he's not interesting or smart.
Joey: Still, he's written a bunch of movie hits.
Me: He's just you know a bro.
Joey: He's smart.
me: No he's not.
Joey: He has to be.
Me: He has to plagiarize things he's just witnessed in the 20's at an art museum in the present and even that, who cares.
Joey: Otherwise he wouldn't be worrying himself with the past, and would just be living it up in the now with all of his $$$.
Me: I mean I guess he's searching for something more, something more than his provincial life, that's a Beauty and the Beast reference!
Joey: (movie corner) We should just write (movie corner) whenever we make a reference to another movie or anything film. But, you know he's smart, by where he's at and what he's doing right? I don't need to see him being smart.
Me: Give me a sum up Joey.
Joey: (quotes Dan Aykroyd tweet) "I'm really happy to be back in the trenches working on something real. The premise is good. The story is good. It looks promising."
Me: All the movies in the world...
Joey: We've seen em'!

Graffiti 23

"We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path." -Paulo Coelho

Graffiti 22

This was outside the Steppenwolf. I don't really know what to make of it...

"Only truthful hands write true poems. I cannot see any basic difference between a handshake and a poem. " -Paul Celan

The Fourth Of July

Went to Tisher's for a 4th of July BBQ. It was a real blast. Good friends, good food, and roman candles. It was the first time I'd met Thomas pictured above who, much to my delight, loves movies as much as I do. I spent a good hour quizzing him on what movies he'd seen and what he thought of them. A lot of people like movies, it's rare you find someone who absolutely loves movies. It was a real treat.

The highlight of the evening was everyone gathering on the stoop, while the fireworks were going off, for the annual reading of the Declaration Of Independence. We passed the book around and everyone read a paragraph or two. By the time it got to me the text split into two, what I imagine are two different interpretations, Thomas stepped in and read one half while I read the other half simultaneously.

All in all a great night.

Sunrise

When your legs are heavy
And your heart is weak
Go to the lake.

When you're in need of comfort
Or a pleasurable squeak
Go to the lake.

If you're lonely or tired
or bogged down by it all
Go to the lake.

If you're in need of inspiration
Excitement, desire, or an escape
Go to the lake.

And watch the sunrise,
I'll meet you there.

Work Friends

I've found out in last couple years that first impressions can be off. I've also found out that sometimes it takes a certain context to get to know somebody.

I first met Tisher in '09. I was going to meet Wes at the now defunct Bar Louie next to iO. I was coming straight from seeing 'The Cove' at the Landmark. On my way over Wes texted me "My friends Andrew and Jess are going to join us, cool?" Of course I said, sure, fine, no problem but I didn't really mean it cause I wanted to talk to Wes and I'm not great at meeting new people. I get there and the three of them are already there. I sit down and start absolutely gushing about 'The Cove'. I don't remember much about the conversation but I remember Tisher kind of ribbing/challenging me about the movie which of course I didn't like. We've moved in the same iO circles since then but haven't really talked until recently. We were done temping and got hired full time at Groupon and got sat next to each other, almost two years after our first meeting.

We started off just making jokes about customers, then having lunch together, and then talking about all our mutual stuff: improv, people we know, relationships etc. Tish has been a great friend in the past months. He always makes work fun and not a drag to go to. He also always has my back and will invite me to what he's doing if I have nothing going on. That trait above all else to me means the most. Always throwing out the invitation whether the intention be that it's accepted or declined. Tisher and I have seen a couple movies together one of which was the Pirates movie at the IMAX which I dragged him to.

It's odd when you find your friends and where.

Sometimes you just need the right context.

Panang Curry: The Spice

Went to The Spice in Logan Square with HP for a belated birthday meal. The Panang was very good, thinner than my preference but very good. A perfect amount of spice. It had chicken, basil, green beans, peas, and red pepper. There wasn't enough chicken for my preference but that didn't bother me. They didn't give me a separate plate which I thought was odd because how I eat curry and how I've always seen it eaten is using a bed of rice with the curry spread on top. I realize I could have asked for a plate but I figured if you order the same dish at every place you go you can stand to eat it in different ways.

Also to note the service was a little slow but it was made up for by our super-friendly bubbly waitress. Would I go again?

For sure.