A Journey Into Magic Hedge

Tisher and I took a walk by the lake this afternoon by way of the bird sanctuary. I was stunned by all the names, both Latin and English, Tisher knew of all the birds we saw.

After about 20 shots of birds this was the one that turned out ok. Tisher said this is some kind of pest bird or something.

There were lots of boats out on the lake and I discovered my camera had a significantly longer zoom than I thought. I was able to zoom in on the richies taking their schooners out for joy rides.

Most of the boats didn't have names or they had more conventional names which didn't really spark my interest. Cheep N Deep however seems like the tooliest of tool names. I don't know what its even suppose to mean.

Tisher: Why would they spell cheap that way? To visually rhyme with deep?
Me: They want people to know they may be cheap but their pockets are deep.

Graffiti 103

Saw this in Logan Square which seemed appropriate. Seemingly a riff on internet catch phrase and meme "cool story bro". I like vests, I went through a period in high school where I was wearing a fleece vest all the time. If memory serves I'd use it to cover my incrementally increasing pit stains. Now I have one blue dressy type vest that I'll wear if I want to give a show outfit a little extra pop.

Scorn for those people who attempt, and sometimes succeed, to pull of a vest is misplaced. In all of fashion scorn seems inappropriate. Except maybe for sweat pants worn in public.

"He who observes etiquette but objects to lying is like someone who dresses fashionably but wears no vest." -Walter Benjamin

'Much Ado About Nothing' & 'Monsters University' Reviews

Much Ado About Nothing is the Joss Wedon adaptation of the Shakespeare romantic comedy. The film follows two couples in a will-they-or-won't-they game of love set in the back drop of a week at a party mansion. The movie is set in the present and filmed in black and white which is at times problematic with the 400 year old script but is mostly a harmonious reimagining. 

The film starts off a little rough and dissonant. It seems in the first 20 minutes or so that the actors are struggling with the language and the sizable amount of exposition. Once that hurdle is jumped the plot gets moving and the actors seem to get warmed up. The leads Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof especially seem to build up steam and give amazing nuanced performances. The famous Beatrice scene "Oh God, that I were a man" is worth the price of admission. 

The extensive supporting cast fills out the movie with humor and energy, Nathan Fillion almost steals the last third of the film with his portrayal of idiotic constable Dogberry. The only hiccup in the cast is Sean Maher as the villain who seems confused and out of his depth.

A fun energetic modern film based on an ageless classic.

See It.

Monsters University is the 12 years in the making prequel to Monsters Inc. The movie follows Sully and Mike as they go to monster college and become friends. The plot is reminiscent of many underdog and college stories most closely resembling Revenge of the Nerds. The heart of the first movie is present in its prequel but some of the creativity and magic is lost.

Aimed at kids with some tidbits in there for adults. One joke in particular I loved: Sully and Mike's friends mom drops them off and then says she'll just be waiting listening to her tunes which turn out to be jarring death metal. But for every joke that hits for kids and adults there are five more which are obvious tropes put into the animated-kids-movie joke machine and spit back out.

Good for kids, slightly wearying for adults.

Rent It.

29

Subtitle: Habits my father gave me in two parts

Around two in the morning I turned 29. I've never put much expectations on a birthday since I had a pinata and Magic Mike perform for my 7th birthday, you can't really top that. Today was a good day, the HR lady got everyone bagels and fruit in celebration of my birth. She also inconspicuously gave me a cup cake with a candle and a book of matches, presumably for me to have my own little party and make a wish in secret in order for it to have a greater chance of coming true.

After work I met HP and Tisher to see Monsters University. My pick of course and the first animated movie I voluntarily went to see since the original in 2001. Afterwards Tisher and I went to Pick Me Up for dinner and of course, my birthday necessity, chocolate cake. It was a great day: I saw a movie, ate chocolate cake, and spent some time with two of my closest friends.

Reflecting on 28 it was a good year. Some downs but mostly ups, I think there's a lot to be done, a lot of potential for the next year. Tonight, though, two things especially made me happy, habits I realized I picked up from my father.

Surprise Me. Ever since I can remember whenever my dad is in a situation, usually at a restaurant, when he can say "surprise me" to the server or employee he does. If he's offered a number of options or suggestions he enjoyed having the person pick and being surprised. It's something I started doing a couple years ago and I continue to do. Our server at Pick Me Up said they had two types of chocolate cake: flowerless and vegan espresso. I asked her to surprise me and she brought me the vegan espresso chocolate cake which I was hoping for and which was delicious. I don't know why but that small interaction always excites me and makes me extremely happy.

Chocolate Cake. Growing up my father always told this story about his Grandma Bertha. One day when he was visiting her farm she asked him what he wanted for breakfast the next day and he said "chocolate cake". She made him chocolate cake for breakfast the next day and every subsequent time he went to visit her. As her grew older he became a little tired of chocolate cake in the morning but would always eat it without complaint because she would make it from scratch. Because of this whenever there is chocolate cake left over from a birthday or graduation or anniversary we would indulge in the Nelson Breakfast in honor of Grandma Bertha. Because of this or maybe despite it it's always been my favorite dessert and holds a scared place in my heart.

For me any big event, any milestone, any accomplishment, any disappointment has to be celebrated or mourned with a slice of chocolate cake. It's tradition, a Nelson ritual.

My 29th birthday was no exception.

 

Humid

Summer stuffstuff spewing
from bloat ripped cloud seams
soaking my under arms
pointed pit stains
and redden my cheeks
with shame
not the season of the pea coat
but the season of the peepee coat
I think and giggle like the grade schooler I never was
warm unpleasant dampness
causing me to sweat and lightly soak
my collar which tends to stick
or chaff or trend toward stink
oh sweet summer you over lauded bog
sticky sponge air massaging
exposed skin like giraffe tongue
grip peeling white birch bark

I'd trade all barbecues:
those that have been Q'd
those being Q'd
and those yet to be Q'd
for steady jacket weather.

A Small Victory

I think my basil plant is drowning. I've moved it inside so I can regulate the water intake better. All the rest of my plants seem to be flourishing. I woke up the other day to find my first flower. I didn't notice a bud or even the hint of a bud in the days leading up to it so it was quite a surprise. It feels good to have plants and watch them grow. I sit on the porch and visit with them quite a bit although I haven't started talking to them yet. I'm sure that'll come soon. It's suppose to help them grow, maybe I'll even sing to them.

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." -Leo Buscaglia

A Celebration of the Chicago Black Hawks

A text conversation after the Hawks won the Stanley Cup and Chicagoans took to the streets

Me: go hawks.
Tisher: We all share in this victory we earned. Bless us we are chosen to be blessed we deserve grace.
Me: Through this victory our misery is vindicated. We are now ready for the judgement of Yahweh.
Tisher: We stand naked and judged. Trembling and righteous and ready to be cradled in God's arms. We were so good at sports tonight, every last one of us.
Me: Stripped of superficial meaning our lives finally have purpose. The sports win tonight unites us in a universal truth. We are all cavemen driven by triumph.
Tisher: I am so happy about this win I'm going to personally walk into a Taco Bell and burn it to the ground.
Me: To celebrate this oneness of the human race I will spray puke on 20 members of the Chicago Board of Trade.
Tisher: I am going to throw a full can of beer into the face of a horse with a cop riding it.
Me: I will rip the brassieres from many hapless women who are confined by the stifling patriarchy which this sports win has overthrown.
Tisher: We are all brothers tonight. All white Chicagoans share this victory.