Rock Haus

About Goddam time...

Not much to report really...to summarize:

• 2 nights of Joe Jackson at the Vic - AWESOME
• 1 Week in Hudson - SO NOT AWESOME
• Turned 38 - Most crap birthday ever, but nice friends made for a memorial day redux complete with cake and a bottle of champers from Miss Sarah
• Have elected to ditch shooting digital for the time being, gonna spend some time with Dad's old OM2
• In the interest of being able to afford to process film and going to attempt to get a job in a photo lab again. I swore I never would again, but DVD place is inconsistent and I need a regular paycheque.
• Went to see the Janes dance at the Reader Book swap this past wednesday, Mrs Kate and Miss Sarah made their Janes debut and were *stellar*. Pictures to follow soon
• Still waiting on the new and improved lisrockphoto.com, but since i foolishly referred Mr Bridget to a paying gig I now have to wait til that's over with..

I can't think of anything else right now, hopefully will get back to regular posting...

And it only took me a year or so...

For any of you that are local and remotely interested, you can now view a small group of my pictures hanging on the wall at the Fixx Coffee Bar at 3053 N. Sheffield.

woot!

Next goal - get a showing in a place where the owners *aren't* good friends of mine.

Awsome month for music

Last Sunday night I borrowed Mr. Jess and went to the Eels show at Park West. In lieu of opening band, we instead watched documentary about Mark Everett (aka "E") and his quest to find out more about his father, famous physicist Hugh Everett III. It was actually really interesting and now I know about Schroedinger's Cat, which surprisingly was something I had in fact harbored a curiosity about in the past. Eels were as awesome as I expected, with only E and "the Chet" on the stage, absolutely fantastic. Didn't take pictures since I didn't know what the camera policy would be and I didn't want the hassle.

Last night brought my darling boys from Baltimore back in Chicago for the night. Splitsville played at Elbo Room, my only complaint about the show was it could have been longer...full set of pics here.

In the planning stages of portraiture series...friend is Germany bound for the summer and I will be babysitting her lighting rig until september...hoping to make great use of it.

10 days til back to back Joe Jackson shows. woot!

My puppets have arrived! In a big tangled mess in a shopping bag, where no doubt they've been for at least 20 years since IGA supermarket closed forever ago. Not a complete set however, Pirate is missing his head, and dog is missing his legs, and entire cat is missing. I have sent Dad on a mission to find them...I have this wild notion of restoring them, because, you know, I don't have enough weird shit in my house already. Sod it, if I'm never getting any wey-hey-hey ever again, I'm not gonna worry about the stuff in my house creeping people the fuck out anymore.

Show is good to go, save one print I'm still waiting on...

So Elizabeth Berkley of Saved By the Bell and Showgirls fame is doing a reality show. It's on Bravo so no doubt it will be masquerading as a legitimate search for real talent...*whatever*... If *I* ruled the world, the contestants would be vying for a spot in some high fallutin "gentleman's club", and upon elimination, they would receive a slap in the face from Berkley, who would then declare them "a whore, not a dancer" and deliver them a short sharp push down a metal staircase.

Time to take your dress off, Mary

So this guy just came in and after getting carded asked if he could put his wristband on himself because if Megan did it she would "catch at least four arm hairs and then they'll get ripped out and that will be the most painful thing that ever happened to me"

1. Jesus christ dude I can't believe you would say that with your girlfriend standing right there, if I were her I'd now be mentally rehearsing the "it's not you it's me" speech we'd be having later.
2. If THAT is the most painful thing that ever happens to you I want to live your life...
3. I'd bet dollars for donuts you've said to your girlfriend "but baby, a brazillian wax is just so sexy"

Got up this morning, trained over to Pearl and picked up some mat board. Had forgotten just how sexy a framed and matted print can be, I'd also forgotten all the math involved in matting, so I already arsed one up, the one I *did* successfully frame however, looks HOT. I may already have a piece sold too. HIC has said he wants one, and just because I want in his trousers doesn't mean he gets it for free.

While matting I enjoyed disc 1 of The Best of Not the 9 O'clock News, which you should all go out and rent immediately. Priceless stuff. I just wish Spitting Image was available on DVD.

Did I mention yet that my darling boys from Baltimore are coming? Splitsville are playing Chicago April 12...(insert high pitched shrieking here) So excited for the show and seeing the lads. Picture above from last time I saw them at Red House in Baltimore last year. Mister Mike will you be coming with? If I recall, you missed them the last time they were through town...I'm also looking forward to the Joe Jackson shows at the end of the month and am debating whether or not to pull some strings to get in to Eels show this weekend...

I suppose that's all for now.

More extensive rambly-wambling

So as I twittered earlier, I rescued an antique sewing machine from the tip today. Isn’t it beautiful? Not sure what I’m gonna do with it beyond taking more pictures of it, I have a functional albeit hideous modern sewing machine should my inner seamstress decide to make an appearance…I just can’t get over the detail, god it’s gorgeous. 

In other news….

 I compiled a list like this years ago, which I’ll have to go through old journals and find, but Maggie over at Mighty Girl had the idea to publish her list, so I am going to do the same……. Your life is flashing before your eyes, what do you want to see?

1.    1972 - Riding the old merry-go-round in Vienna with Mom, Dad standing next to it waving every time we passed. Yes, I remember 1972.
2.    Our neighbors waving good bye to us as we left for the airport the day we moved to the middle east in 1974
3.    Christmas morning at my Auntie Juan’s house (pronounced June) in  1974
4.    Holding my grandmothers hand as we watched the water wash up around our feet at the beach in Cornwall
5.    Christmas at my grandmothers, 1975 – as the rarely seen overseas grandchild, I totally raked it in that year. It was also the last time I saw my grandfather.
6.    My dad’s 40th birthday at Juan’s house.
7.    Floating in an innertube on the lake at Uncle Chickie and Aunt Ro’s house.,
8.    Snorkelling in the red sea
9.    Sand filled sandwiches and warm cola on the beach in England
10.    Nights at the beach hut in Jeddah, night fishing with dad
11.    Being shorter than my dad
12.    Mrs Reynolds class at Jeddah Prep
13.    London Zoo on my 10th birthday with Mum, Mark, Phillip, and Annette
14.    My first big crush – Philip Rawstron, 1979
15.    Sneaking off to the pit with Mark and Phillip, if I had kids I’d have a stroke at the thought of them playing in such a place, our parents felt the same (hence the sneaking) but it was good fun.
16.    Going to the night skate at Roller Kingdom in Jr. High
17.    My first concert in 1984, Adam Ant, Boston Orpheum
18.    The Duran Duran concert 2 weeks later
19.    The first time I got really drunk drinking Guinness at the pub in St. Agnes with my parents and my friend Marianne, I later fell into a hedgerow and was unable to get up due to my inability to stop laughing my ass off. Dad was amused, Mum was decidedly NOT.
20.    Sitting opposite my Uncle Chester the following morning at the breakfast table and him dryly remarking “So I hear you can drink *me* under the table” (Chester was somewhat legendary in the drinking department)
21.    The Cure show in (I think) 1986 – In Between Days tour, Boston Orpheum
22.    The Cult show, Love Tour, 1987, Boston Orpheum
23.    The day I spent loitering on New Cavendish Street in London outside the Some Bizzarre record headquarters, waiting for Marc Almond to show up and meeting a big group of other like minded Guterhearts. This was also the day I bought my very first pair of punk rock shoes (which I would like to note are still in my possession, they are unwearable (and not just because I’m 37 years old), but I have this notion I will one day have them bronzed…oh, and Marc did eventually show up but totally dissed us all and ducked inside quickly
24.    My trip to Baltimore with mum to check out MICA and also meet my penpal Karl, with whom I spent a rainy afternoon with, snogging in various inappropriate places. He took this picture of me that day.
25.    The day I arrived in Baltimore and met Miss Jen, to this day one of my bestest friends in the world
26.    The night of the Birthday Party for the Bricks, this was a few nights after arriving at school, and the night I met a couple of other enduring pals, Spot, and Erica

I think that’s all for now….there will be far more later….

 How about y’all?

I see a bandwagon, I jump on...and then I ramble on and on and on and on.....

So I decided to give this twitter thing a go. As you well know I am notorious for a few days of updates and then leaving y'all to twist in the wind for weeks on end, and really, it's not that I'm not thinking of you...so now whenever the notion suits me, and I can express it in 140 characters or less, boo-ya, a quick text and there it is, to the right, for all my beloved little munchkins to enjoy. It seems all the cool bloggers are doing it and hell what's good enough for Dooce is good enough for me.

Today I bought a t-square and a mat knife. T-squares are a lot more expensive than I expected, but still cheaper than pre-cut mats, which I can't use anyway since the sizing on my prints is gonna be all fucky and I want them done a certain way blah blah blah. Fortunately Museum board hasn't gone up too much. I'll be buying that on a day that I don't have my bike waiting for me at the train station and I don't have to ride the train at rush hour since I question how well 32X40 sheets would fare on a packed train, besides, I don't have my prints yet and don't want to start cutting until I do. Frames are nearly ready, one more coat and they should be good to go. Why am I telling you all this? Somehow sharing this makes me a lot more accountable and I HAVE to finish it now since I went and told y'all all about it...I'm a lazy bastard you see, in case you hadn't already noticed. All this agony for five effing pictures. I am a jackass. I'm hoping that once I get this done and the world doesn't end, I will feel inspired to try for another show somewhere else...I know I shouldn't be so fussy and just chuck 'em up on the wall and be done with it but presentation is important. I went into one place where someone actually just put photos in mats and thumbtacked them to the wall, no glass, not frame....I couldn't even tell you what the pictures were of because I was too distracted by the facial tic induced by the appalling presentation.

Today not one but TWO potential (paying!) photo opportunities presented themselves. That's all I will say on the matter unless something actually pans out.

Day gig continues to plod along. It's not the worst gig I've ever had, I got a raise last week,can't argue with that after 6 weeks considering B&V has paid exactly the same for 4 years...of course one doesn't work here for the money, it's all about the glamour and the social cache (ahem).  handling DVD's all day has put me back in touch with my Netflix queue, which had languished for some time. My most recent picks have been The New Statesman, Jeckyll, and The Riches. The New Statesman is brilliant, stars Rick Mayall of Young Ones fame, it's hilarious, socially and politically insensitive, and just good fun. The Riches is good but in the long run only okay. I adore Eddie Izzard, and the premise is interesting, but I can't say I will watch it again...Jeckyll, however, is so completely AWESOME that I cancelled the delivery of the second disc and ordered my own copy at work. A modern day take on the Jeckyll and Hyde story, starring James Nesbitt, I could go on and on about how great it is  but you should just check it out for yourself....I would also like to note that you shouldn't let the fact that I want to do a variety of things to James Nesbitt that would make the baby jeebus cry give you pause, the show really is THAT good.

Ok, I am gonna shut up now.Smooches!

oops

Did *I* kill Anna Nicole?

Bunny day update.

Rode Floyd to the train thursday, it's not at all uncommon for me to come back and discover the crate on the back has been used as a dumping ground for empty drink cups, McDonalds bags, etc, since as I'm sure you know it's not littering if you don't drop it on the ground (I won't go into how there's usually a trashcan within 10 fucking feet)....to the point...in this particular instance Floyd's trunk has been used as a dump for a pinched wallet. Empty except for a handful of receipts, business cards, notes scribbled in a language I can't read, plus and ID and Social Security card. The ID was a few years old, so rather than just mail it to the address I dropped it off at the local police station. I hope they meant it when they said they would try to reach him.

Friday in the midst of our hopefully final snow (storm?) I managed for the first time in 6 years of living alone to lock myself out of my house (not counting that time I dropped my keys at Underbar and had to wake up Mrs Bridget some time around 5am to get my keys) fortunately I was dressed appropriately and since WTP is such a pain to maintain, at least 4 people in a 1 mile radius of my home have keys...Mr Kate gets big mad ups for not only being home but for driving my keys to me...Rob is the best.

Last night Miss A and I hung out and did girl chat over pizza and bourbon and reading materials,  when Miss A reached her midnight witching hour, I went home to bed, only after first considering a foray to Neo to meet up with HIC and Smashy Boo Boo, but then I remembered I was somewhat intoxicated already, didn't need to spend money, didn't need to deal with the debacle of getting there on CTA, didn't have any inclination to be forced to tolerate the squalid ladies loo at Neo, and then the kicker, I remembered I fucking hate Neo, so I went home to bed and watched Without a Trace. Je suis une ROCKSTAR.

Today I rode my bike around to both local grocery stores, put another coat of paint on the frames I bought for this show I may or may not finally complete (gave the disc to my printer* yesterday) oooh, and this was exciting, I had a conversation with my parents that did NOT conclude with me wanting to put my fist through a wall. Dad says the brain meds Mum is on now seem to be kicking in and her disposition and appetite seem to be improving, so that was nice. Oooh ooh!, and Molly, I thought of you twice today, once when I found and absconded with a chair in the alley on my way home from the grocery store, and then as I was (unsuccessfully, sadly) looking for my lamb of god t-shirt to wear while bartending tonight.

Above is one of the pics from the growing series Olga and Pee Wee, a love story. I'm not sure about these pics, in addition to the nagging voice in my head hissing "cliche cliche cliche", I also worry that perhaps it might be interpreted as some kind of exorcism of childhood trauma, wherein I was molested by an amusing comic with deviant leanings, I can assure you this isn't the case. I'm just a weirdo who likes creepy pictures of scabby old dolls.

I think thats it. Boom Shanka, y'all.

*and by printer I mean friend of mine who works at Wolf...

MY Current Food Obsession

I've this wild notion of slimming down a bit before my birthday. I realise this probably isn't the most diet friendly salad, but at least i'm getting exercise walking or riding to Harvestime every other day to stock up on tomatoes, fresh mozzarella  and basil.