A musical genius
So, I am can't remember if I mentioned that I bought a harmonica for Nolan. I brought it with me to the Easter family breakfast and there was too much going on for him to really get into it. At least that is what I told myself. My sister is the best though. She called me last Thursday and asked, "Are you working?" and I said no. "Well listen to this." And I could hear the harmonica going in the background. My sister said he had gone to his toy closet and went straight for it, took it out, and then asked her to show him how to make it work. Of course she is proud of him since he is only two and learned how to do it. I told her, "You like it now, but if he really gets into playing it you will hate me later." :)
With my Dad, Brother and Me
Tuesday I went to a baseball game with my Father and Brother. I can't even tell you the last time I remember my three of us guys just doing something. I have to admit it was an amazing, positive experience. My dad was over hyper and excited and it was cute. My brother actually was rolling his eyes and smiling at him too and making the situation calmer in his own way. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but my mom and I went to these classes about Mental Illness at some church when I was in maybe 10th grade. It was there that I learned that often times there is a role reversal with siblings who are mentally ill. A light bulb went off and I realized it was really true, or at least I had been behaving as such with my brother. I have heard that the youngest is the jokester of the family usually while the oldest is the serious keep everyone in line super responsible one. I definitely have not been the jokester around my family while my brother has and it my brother used to remind me all the time that he was "four years older than you." I have learned to accept my father and love him just for how he is and for how he does his best to get by in the world. I know that he means well and has a very sensitive heart and I get him because we are very similar. My brother on the other hand I have always never been able to let go of being "older brother" simply because I never knew how his behavior would be and how rational he would be thinking any particular day. It has been so amazing lately to be around him. It has been a good 6 months that he has been really someone I can talk to. I almost don't know how to react, but it really feels good. At the game he made me laugh, I mean seriously laugh. I don't know the last time that happened for me. After the game I told him how to get back to my place and he did not argue with me and actually just listened and took my advice, assessed it, and drove me home without me fearing getting stuck. Come to think of it after Adam's Funeral he let me drive his car. Maybe these things seem like not a big deal, but with my brother they are milestone. This is getting long, but I really wanted to express how nice it was to just interact with my brother. I felt like I really had a brother. I don't even remember when I had that feeling last.
Truth is Funnier Than Fiction
I was walking Nicollet Mall after I got off the 10C bus at about 5pm on Wednesday and noticed a Golden Retriever with a dead squirrel in it's mouth up ahead. The whole squirrel mind you, head, fuzzy tail, stubby legs, the whole thing. The owner had the dog on a leash and didn't seem to care. I thought this was odd so I kept looking and noticed the owner was holding something in his hand. At first glance I thought it was a camera. The owner was some artsy, weirdo, guy and was trying to get his dog to pose for a picture, and then, as I got closer, I realized it was a harness. It was the harness of a seeing eye dog and the owner was blind. Seeing eye dogs are only on duty when their harness is on, so the off duty dog must had just picked up the road kill and the owner hadn't realized it yet. THE OWNER WAS BLIND! Hilarious. Oh, life is priceless sometimes.
Reflections On My Trip to Chicago
I really didn't want to go. The day before, when I picked out my art, I found out that Anna had been in town the past weekend and she didn't even contact me. I was angry. When Anna and I met at the Silver Cloud on Saturday, in the Bucktown neighboorhood, it was like old times. We cleared the air and enjoyed the hour and a half of time we had together. I only spent Friday night hanging out with Dave and we watched coupling and had a bit of wine. When I was texting David, before I even left on my flight to Chicago, one of the first things he asked was, "So, what are you drinking now-a-days? I will go pick something up." I responded, "I am really not drinking anything. Wine is always good though." I was cautious of how close Dave got to me as we were searching for the website of Karen Wilcox, when he was trying to pour me more wine, and especially when his head was close to my lap when he changed postions on the couch while watching coupling. I did not visit Josh. My theory is that since I was not around things that could remind me of him I was less apt to be reminded of him. Here it really is a daily random thing that will spark a happy memory that makes me sad. My focus in Chicago was exploring. I love exploring and the city is massive. If you are in downtown Minneapolis you can walk both the length and the width in about a half hour. I walked home the other day from Hennepin and Washington in 50 minutes that is how small this city is. One of my favorite things to do was just walking. I walked by the new condo's going up and the beautiful walkways and fountains being installed in downtown Chicago. I walked on the Chicago River Walk and looked at the architecture that one usually pays a ferry fee for. I walked in Andersonville before I went to see 'Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" and loved how it was an area in transition. It has not been fully yuppified yet and if you walk far enough there are still bars on the windows and gates with locks in front of the doors. I loved driving down Lawerence Avenue and seeing how there were stores with some sort of Asian, or Hebrew like words for most of the shops and yet everyone walking around in the neighboorhood was Mexican. It was my favorite thing this trip to get lost and discover things and it made me realize just how vast Chicago is.
Yesterday was my last day and the most warm. Near my hotel was the Busse Forrest Preserve. I had rented a car for this trip, so I drove down to the first parking area and realized why Elk Grove Park is an appropiate name for the town. They actually have a "heard" of Elk. Really it's a zoo area where you can walk up to the fence and the Elk come up and let you pet their noses. I decided to walk around the trail. I stopped a random woman and asked how to get to the lakes I had seen on the park map and she said, "You will run into them. Just keep vering to the right. It's about a two hour walk and it's really nice." I walked, and walked, and walked, and it was great. I love walking, my ass feels great right now from all the walking I did this weekend. I then drove to the Botanic Gardens, and I am sure glad I did not drop $12 on parking. When that place is in full bloom, and everthing is open, and the water in the Japenese Garden is flowing I would imagine it is very impressive. I then decided I would drive down to see the show I had planned to see on Friday ("Too Much Light") which brought me to Andersonville. Dave lives in the area so I thought I would invite him to come out and join me, but he was hanging with a friend. "I will call you when we are done and maybe we can get a drink or something." It was here that I saw something that reminded me of Josh which was the bookstore we had seen "Harry and the Potters" last year in July with Eric, Allegra, Chris, and Karen. No missing of him though :) So, I stopped into a cafe that said they had ice cream and ended up getting myself a slice of yummy chocolate chip cheese cake with a chocolate cookie base. I had 'The Davinci Code' with me that I had bought in the MSP airport before I left for Chicago and read for a bit. The chapters are too damn short. That had to be said, and that said, I then went to Charlies bar and restaraunt which I had noticed had a lot of the gays. (Oh and that said, it was interesting to be in a neighboorhood seeing so many of the gays everywhere after not be in that environment the whole trip) I had a beer and read my book, tried to flirt with the guy ordering take out, watched the golf that was on TV and decided to walk some. I walked by two cememtaries one that was gated and one that was brick walled off. blah blah blah. I then got to the show. I usually go into things with no expectations, but I had heard rave reviews so I was expecting something I had never seen before. Honestly that did not happen, though I did laugh a lot and ponder a lot. It was scetch improve show that sometimes included serious poems and other written stories. I only had to pay $8 and it was the only thing I had paid for all day entertainment wise. I decided since I had not heard from Dave, and honestly I assumed he would flake on me anyway, I decided to head to boys town cause I wanted to go to Gentry. Gentry is a piano bar that Frank, Victor, Anna and I had a blast at once upon a time. This was the only time my heart raced because Josh works at Spin which is at the beginning of boys town and I was parking on Belmont. I decided I would turn one block before Halsted so I would not walk by Spin. Once I got into Gentry I had a great time. I sat at the bar and a very drunk older gentlemen intrduced himself and then introduced me to the small group of people there. I had so much fun. Everyone was there to be entertained and the pianist and the perfomer did not dissapoint. The older gentlemen told me of the history of Halsted and how he was around before Boystown existed, and how Minneapolis used to have a bath house, and how he was in Minneapolis' first Pride Parade. Basically reminding me that even though there is a long way to go for gay rights and such, we need to not forget those who have paved the way for our lives today. There was a guy that I fancied and after the older gentlemen left and the guy I decided to make eye contact and say hi to him on his way to the bathroom. He was interested, so he stopped and chatted on his way back to his seat. Who knew? He currently lives in Minneapolis, not far from me actually, and is moving to Chicago in 5 weeks. What luck, but we have plans to hang out on Wednesday. We might do the "Cheap Date Night" thing at Bryant Lake Bowl.
I Bought Original Art Finally
It has been years and years and years since I first told myself I was going to buy myself a piece of original art. Well now I will have three small pieces. The artist is Karen Wilcox,
www.karenwilcox-studio.com , I honestly love every piece that she has on the website and they were even better in person. I usually don't connect that strongly with any artist. The pieces are 7"x5" and framed. They cost me $100 a piece and I could not be happier. No buyers regret, and they can only go up in value in my opinion. I mean she has shown in New York and has shows in galleries all the time! I better remember the names of the paintings :) Maybe I will write them on the back or something, and if she does not sign things usually I will have her sign the back too. Like I would sell them, but it's always nice to know you have something that will increase in value the longer you don't sell it :) This really off-sets my not so wonderful feelings about deal with things in Chicago and so off I go! And here are pictures of the paintings. The first one is "Allysa", the second is "Tatayan" and the third is "Scarf." I hope some of you get to see them in person some day. Thanks to Ron for wanting to go to the First Thursday event at the Northrup Buidling, and thanks to Victor for driving!
I Can't Go, I'm Washing My Hair That Night
So, Ron, Victor and I are coordinating our Thursday outing to the 'First Thursday' event in NE via e-mail. Ron also asked if anyone would like to go on a Water Tower hunt with him on Sunday. It has been decided that I WILL be going to the Chicago area so that counts me out, and Victor replied that he had to 'help his brother move some furnitue.' So I came back with, "yea...really I am washing my hair that night, but I thought it would be a lame excuse," and so Victor replies as follows. I love my friends.
She asks me why
I'm just a hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and night
Hair that's a fright
I'm hairy high and low
Don't ask me why
Don't know
It's not for lack of break
Like the Grateful Dead
Darling
Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair's too short
Down to here
Down to there
Down to where
It stops by itself
They'll be ga ga at the go go
When they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond
Brilliantined
Biblical hair
My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don't my mother love me?
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
"Jonathan Howard"
04/04/2006 10:11 AM
To
cc "Rosenow, Ronald \(FO\)"
Subject RE: THURSDAY CONFIRMATION
