3.05.2012

a strange weekend!

I would've called it a great weekend, an unmet weekend of awesome, perhaps, except for that my hamster died.

EVERYONE FEEL SAD FOR A MOMENT FOR MY HAMSTER.

He was a good hamster, and a wise one.

Anyway duderos, this is going to be a FIRST! A pictorial of my visit to Chicago, so I'm putting my pics behind the cut so that if you are doing other things, you will not get distracted by how awesome my Chicago trip was, but if you're not busy, you know, you can dive in and be like, coolio. (Also because this is going to be a long post, and I don't want it to eat my whole front page.)

First things first: I met my father at a dental convention and found out this VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION about what to do if your teeth get knocked out! I want to print this onto a card and put it in my wallet, just because you never know when people's teeth are gonna get knocked out.

This was the same piece of paper, it just looks like different colors?
Remember that, kids. MILK!

Okay so anyway, after this there was some really excellent pizza, but I don't remember where this was, because I got somewhat intoxicated (ON FUN, MOM AND DAD! :D (side note: yes, I am of legal drinking/smoking/tattooing/voting age, and confidential to everyone but my parents: IT WAS ALCOHOL!, so let's all stay calm)). I do remember that for NO APPARENT REASON, whenever someone entered or exited the women's restroom, something in the bathroom made subway noises, like "Doors Closing!" or whatever. Then there was karaoke? And dancing? I have a firm grasp on what happened that evening, clearly.

Anyway, it was a good introduction to Logan Square, which, I'm guessing, is where I would live if I moved to Chicago.

I saw this sign around a lot:
MOUSTACHES.
It reminded me a lot of one of my friends, but I got in a fight with my phone and I don't think it sent the picture message to her saying, THIS MADE ME THINK OF YOU, XOXO.

So, dear friend YG, that was for you! (Obviously YG stands for "Young Geezy." I'm friends with him.)

So anyway, my friend and I then went to Hancock Tower and HOLY CRAP CHICAGO IS SO FLAT.
flat flat flat flat
flat flat flat flat
flat and water!
water and flat!
It's so crazy! It's like the flattest place in the universe. Okay, so actually the Discovery Channel says that some salt flat in Bolivia is the flattest place on Earth. I say PFFT, HAVE YOU SEEN CHICAGO?

Anyway. Now that I'm done weirdly ranting about flatness. (This was my main topic all weekend. I really couldn't let it go.)
I ended up at the Chicago Cultural Arts Center on Monday, because I took the day off work, ostensibly so that I could go see some law school in Chicago, but then I forgot to look up where any were, and then I realized that UChicago is in Hyde Park, which was an hour away from where I was, and I was sort of like, oh well, I will just go at big public art installations and FORGET TO TAKE ANY PICTURES OF THE GIANT SCULPTURES. Grr.

My super-blurry picture of the interior of the CCA
But I did NOT forget to take pictures at the CCA, which is good, because it was AWESOME.
trans* bovine outside of the CCA
There was this really amazing exhibit, for which I followed the rules and did NOT take any pictures thereof, but I highly recommend going to it if you're in the Chicago area anytime soon.
it was almost entirely images of death, and it was very cool.

I think if you click here, you should be able to read it? Maybe?
BUT I completely ignored any postings of rules regarding the text art exhibit, because it was SO AWESOME and I also really, really, really want to contact some of these artists about using their images for tattoos.

Chad Kouri, untitled installation, 2011
Chad Kouri, from untitled installation, 2011
how bamf would this be as a wrist tattoo? PRETTY DAMN BAMF
I seriously could not get enough of this chair. I love this chair and I want it in my house.
Michael Dinges, Captain's Chair, 2006
Michael Dinges, Captain's Chair, 2006
And finally, this aaaaaaaaaawesome series (Untitled, 2011) by Carol Jackson:

Carol Jackson, untitled series, 2011
Again, click for embigenment, probably.
From which I especially enjoyed:
Carol Jackson, from untitled series, 2011
And this one, which I want to get (mildly changedly) as a tattoo:

Carol Jackson, from untitled series, 2011
Why as a tattoo? Because reasons, that's why.
My friend took me to lunch at this ca-raaaaaaaaazy eatery, inside a jewelry store!

Would you like some diamonds with your moderately-priced falafel?
And finally, surely the most amazing sight I have ever seen, on any trip to date:


Oh, Chicago. You do know the way to a girl's heart.

(But seriously, I loved Chicago, and would totally love to go back all the time. It was like if you took Salt Lake City and just shoved some Manhattan into it, then ironed the whole thing and had everyone retain fun midwestern charm. Delightful.)