Roadtrip Recap: Days One & Two

Well I haven't gotten this recap up as quickly as I'd like. For gods sake I'm only at the halfway point of uploading all of the pictures I took. It really has taken me the week after the trip to get my bearings and a somewhat stressful week back at work didn't help matters much. I'm not sure if anyone even cares anymore, but I figure I'd better write this down before I get too old and can't remember any of it.

And Here. We. Go.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

If I could accomplish even half of what I set out to do, I think I'd be quite pleased with myself. Unfortunately life tends to get in my way - work takes out a significant portion of my time during the week: I leave my apartment at 6:30 every morning, and get home between 6 and 7 at night (depending on traffic and when I can pry my ass out of my office chair). So by the time I settle in and eat, it's usually close to 8pm which leaves me about 2 hours or so of free time. I think I may be slightly manic as I tend to have short intense bursts of inspiration and desire to work on my aspirations. Unfortunately, those bursts tend to happen at inappropriate times - like when I'm at work, or at 10:30pm on a weeknight when I really need to go to bed. On the weekends I tend to try to squeeze in all the errands I was too lazy/didn't have time for in the week (i.e. laundry, grocery shopping, naps) which leaves me only sporadic blocks of time of which to work with. Add what I think is a slight case of ADD (I swear I would have been medicated as a kid had I been born twenty years later) which I'm noticing is getting worse as I get older, and I'm shocked I can finish any kind of artistic endeavor.

AnyWAY, the point of this post was not to bitch about how I don't have time to do the things I want, but to tell you what those things are. Like the essay you'd always be stuck writing that first week back to grammar school in the fall ("This summer I wrote my bike to White Hen for Slush Puppies every day and bought baseball cards from Roadway Pharmacy" [this is seriously what I did]), here's a list of what I hope I can accomplish this summer. Please note I am a realist and know there's no way I can get all of this done. I will put these in order of what I feel is doable, and also because ordering lists soothes me. Hey, I can't help that - I'm anal retentive.

Post 100: Back in Time When the Floor Shook

To my amazement, this post marks the 100th entry on my blog since I started it at the beginning of the year. I'm shocked to an extent that I've maintained it for this long, as I've never kept anything like this running for more than a couple of weeks. This has evolved into a hockey/sports blog, which wasn't really my intention. No worries, as soon as the NHL playoffs end, I'm sure this blog will become more of my original vision - a home for my snark, random links and stuff I find interesting. I bet you can't wait!

In "celebration" of this occasion, I got the new scanner humming and present you with the following - pictures I took of the Chicago Stadium - the home of the Blackhawks, Bulls, circus, ice capades and random bad concerts prior to the United Center. I don't remember exactly when I took these photographs - it was somewhere between 1988 - 1990 as I did a history fair project on the Wirtz family. Don't ask me why - I guess it was a little more respectable than just a project on the Blackhawks. Of course I no longer have the actual report I wrote as it was done on a typewriter. In any case, one day my dad drove me down to the Stadium to take pictures for the posterboard. I just remember my dad attempting to nervously rush me as back in those days the neighborhood was pretty bad and there was CHA housing close by. Looking back, it's rather comical to think someone was going to shoot us as we took a few pictures, but my dad was being parental I suppose.

Seeing these photographs again bring back so many memories: the anticipation of seeing a Hawks game, feeling the floor shake when the crowd roared, the way your feet would stick to the floor, the swear words I learned at a young age. There will never be another place like it. Le sigh.

A post about the shitstorm that was Game One of the SCF later - I'm going to run across the street now and see if I can still get breakfast at McDonald's!

Onto the Finals! Game Four in Four Pictures

BONUS PICTURE!

[there's a story behind this one, but you'll have to wait]

Much, much more about this game & series in the coming days, but I am emotionally scrambled and I have to get my wired ass off to bed for a full week of work ahead. Why can't the Stanley Cup Finals be a two week long holiday?

Game 73: BJ's 789, Hawks -3 - Mel resists the urge to fling herself off the upper bowl

Actually the score was 8-3 in favor of the Jackets, but it did feel like the score in the title.

Here's the short version of the recap, which can be summed up in two pictures:

Who knew I would so prophetic in predicting that damn cannon would go off so often I would wish I had brought my earplugs. Just call me Cassandra. The second picture was taken at some point in the third period - I was wishing for a quick painless death.

Anyway, onto the bitch session long recap:

Random Musings: OHIO, rain and that hockey thing

I'm sitting in our hotel room in Columbus as it's raining outside (the annoying steady kind - ugh) so the plans of running around town for pictures is kinda out the window. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, so I'll probably attempt to get up at a reasonable time in the morning to do an abbreviated tour before leaving town. So out of boredom, a few random thoughts:

- I never did a recap of Game 72. Oh well, I've been busy. The Hawks won 2-0 to gain sole possession of the Western Conference lead. Niemi earned his shutout, unlike most Hawks shutouts where whomever is in net faces less than 20 shots. Not a perfect game by any means, but probably the most satisfying win in awhile. It looks like the Coyotes and Sharks are going to play turnstile to see whomever wins the Pacific. That's fine - let them worry about each other. Not to jinx, but at this point the conference is ours to lose.
- Huet's in net tonight versus the Blue Jackets. An interesting choice by Q. Perhaps it will help his confidence to play on the road without the mouthbreathers booing him. Note: I will not boo him unless he lets in a softie like he did versus the Stars - it was really bad. If my maths are correct, with a regulation win not only will we clinch a playoff spot, we also knock the Blue Jackets out of a spot. So a possibility of witnessing some joyful schadenfreude in person. Don't worry, I'll take plenty of pictures at the game and post em later.
- Saw and took pictures of some very cool things on the drive out here. I'd show them to you, but my dumb ass left the USB cord at home. DOH! Anyway, we saw a really neat art deco theatre that is still showing movies in Indiana, some cool neon (including an awesome rusty chicken) and an abandoned movie theatre in Springfield, OH. Actually Springfield is one of the most depressing towns I've ever been in. You can tell it's one of those towns that has been decimated by the economy - lots of boarded up and abandoned buildings, people milling about aimlessly. If I would have had more time, it would have been worth a closer look-see.
- On the way home tomorrow we're going to make a slight detour to Cincinnati to stop at Jungle Jim's International Market. Amy really wants to go, and after looking here, it looks like it might be fun. Their camera policy seems a bit hazy so I'm going to have to be sneaky with the little camera.

Well, I'd best wake Amy up and get ready for the game. Go Hawks!

Blast From the Past: the Apples of My Eye

I just got my computer back from the shop (I have a Mac Mini) where I finally got more memory installed. Thank Jebus because attempting to run Firefox, iTunes and iPhoto simultaneously was slowing it down so badly I could walk around the block before all the programs would load. Which means I might be able to write a blog post in under a half hour now. Whee!

This got me to thinking about the computers I've had. For the record I have only owned Macs my entire life. If that makes me an art snob so be it, but I hate Windoze - it's bad enough I have to use it at work. My earliest computer memories are of the Apple IIe in grammar school. With that, anyone of a certain age should enjoy this:

My Totally Sports Themed Bday Presents...

...from the bestest gf ever!

My birthday was almost two weeks ago but I've been too busy (lazy) to post this. Bless Amy's heart for appeasing and dealing with my sports obsession. Thankfully, she realizes I grew up in a household where ESPN was on every waking minute. Growing up, we once stayed in a cabin in Yellowstone sans TV - my dad looked like a lost puppy. I think he read the sports section of the local paper multiple times. In any case, I'm grateful Amy was already a Cubs fan when I met her. Growing up in Iowa, she would go to a Cubs game in the "big city" every summer with her family. She wasn't much of a hockey fan, but I've dragged her into it the last couple of years and I think she really enjoys the game. Too bad she didn't watch it much as a kid since fights are her favorite part. Where we go our separate ways is football - she hates it, I can sing the "Super Bowl Shuffle" in my sleep. Luckily she usually does something else in the apartment during Bears games or joins the other football widows at Target. So here is a pictorial of her gifts to me - with a special bonus at the end.

Game 63: Hawks 5, Oilers 2 - Mel gives you the hand

The subject is in reference to the "talk to the hand" sign I gave to some woman who wanted to get to her seat while the play was still going on. I would have given her the finger as well, but was worried her bf/husband/douche behind her might have broken it.

Apologies for the last game recap. Honestly, I'm already two games behind and the game sucked shit so why waste my time? Sadly, I had a feeling the Hawks were going to come out flat like that right after the break. I hate it when I'm right!

Game 58: Hawks 4, North Stars 3 (SO) - Mel forgets what a hat trick is

I really wish I didn't have to be at work at 7am (and didn't have actual Important Job Responsibilities) because due to the snow last night (a whole foot - seriously wasn't *that* big of a deal) I could have easily scored tickets to the game at face value (I like to use a lot of parenthesis). My brother didn't get home until after 11:30 so I suppose it was the sensible move on my part. I almost pine for the days I'd be out drinking until 4am and open the bookstore the next morning at 9. Almost.

Anyway, onto the game. I don't know why the Stars have given us so much trouble this year - they really are a crap team (although somehow only 3 points out of the last playoff spot). There's always that one team that shouldn't give you issues but always does. The Stars are that team this year. After Kane's two goals in the first period against Marty "C-3P0" Turco I was hoping that someone would finally get a hat trick this season. I really need to see more of this:Please note Bobby Lou cowering in his net. That was a delicious moment I am proud to have witnessed in person. In any case, it was not to be last night. Nor would an easy win be possible either as the Stars tied the game at 3 with less than 5 minutes in regulation after Brouwer scored earlier in the period. Niemi was not at fault for any of the goals IMHO, as the turnovers in front of the net and spotty defense continues to make me twitch. The Stars got a PP awarded in OT after a weak call for OT on Keith for hooking. Niemi made a couple of big saves but kudos to Sopel for playing the entire PK and basically saving our arses. Both teams hit a post in the OT, so onto the shootout (boooo) we went. Neither team could be bothered to score, as I guess none of them wanted to dig out their cars. Finally in Round Five Versteeg! buried one past 3Po, proving that he does actually still play on this team. So, one more game before the Olympic break - Saturday versus Atlanta. I'm trying to see if I can score tickets, as I have nothing to do that night, but everything is outrageously expensive - like Jem is truly, truly, truly outrageously expensive.

Onto some (somewhat) related personal tidbits:

- I bit the bullet and put a deposit down to be on the waiting list for season tickets - 2 seats in the 300 level. As stated above, getting tickets now is next to impossible unless you want to sacrifice your first born. I got tickets to the four games we bought this season the day they went on sale. Folks on the waiting list do get a first crack on the partial season plans, so I'm hoping I'll be lucky to get one of those for next season. With my luck, by the time my name comes up Kane and Toews will be retired and the Hawks will be playing like back in the ABC line days.
- I'm going to buy tickets to the Rockford Ice Hogs (the Hawks AHL team) game on the 27th. It is "Taco Bell Blackhawks Night" (I fucking hate Taco Bell unless I'm drunk) and Brouwer, Fraser, TOFTBO, Niemi and Versteeg! will be there signing. Oh and Tommy Hawk and the Ice Girls will be there as well (barf). In any case, I haven't been to an AHL game in ages - I used to go to Wolves games frequently as a friend of mine's dad was a season ticket holder from their first inaugural season - and that Sunday is my birthday so it should be a fun way to spend the weekend. It'll probably just me and Amy going as none of my friends are really into sports enough to go to Rockford. Perhaps I could drag my brother away from the bar long enough for him to come with - we'll see.
- OxyClean got the majority of the blood off the jeans I spoiled on Saturday. This is not a paid commercial announcement. God love ya Billy Mays!

Game 57: Hawks 2, Blues 1 - Mel sees red (the extended version with all new ER footage!)

My only question is, since I missed the third period, does this count toward my Hawks viewing in person winning streak?

So, after spending a couple of hours enjoying drinks with the SCH folks (mostly being anti-social - not because I'm an asshole, I'm just extremely neurotic until I know people well. Then good luck shutting me up), we hopped on the $2 shuttle to the Scottrade Center. Before I get into the specifics of the game, a few general thoughts:

- The arena was smallish - at least compared to the UC. I think it was similar to the Rosemont Horizon Allstate Arena in size.
- Security was really a little over the top when we came in. Amy had my camera(s) and was asked what size lens it was. Amy didn't know and the rent a cop didn't either, so they let her through. Good thing he didn't see my zoom lens in the bag. I was going to use it in the third period in case they noticed it. Um yeah, no close up pictures for you.
- Seats were similar to my brother's season tickets - at the side of the net where the Hawks shoot twice. Much closer though, as my brother's seats are the second from the last row.
- I much prefer the Blues' fuzzy mascot over Tommy Hawk. Have I ever told you how I am afraid of birds? Terrified. Guess who's head got nomm-nommed by Tommy Hawk the last game she went to? I have a picture of it, but the look on my face doesn't need to be seen by the general public.
- Much was made about the $9 beers - it was 24oz at least. I drank my $5 bottle of water since I had enough to drink at the bar beforehand.
- The power play dance. Where do I start? Every time the Blues have a power play, everyone is supposed to get up and dance waving their arms while bad 90s dance music plays. I'm not kidding - I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Therefore, when the Hawks went on the PP, we mockingly did the dance to spite everyone.
- The crowd was at least a 50/50 split between Blues & Hawks fans. My brother said you would have thought it was a game at the UC watching it on the TV. The crowd reminded me of the UC during the early to mid 00s when we played the Scum and the stadium would be mostly Red Wings fans.
- They had a RC blimp dropping Dairy Queen coupons in between the first and second periods. Amy was really sad that she didn't get one.

Onto the game...

Again, an excellent start for the Hawks. A really energetic period for both teams - the last sedate game on Wednesday seemed to have been forgotten with two first period scraps - one between Barker and Jackman (Jackman is a total douche) and one between Ladd and Brewer. The Hawks tallied two, the first by Sharp and the second by Toews. Niemi was sharp through two as the Blues outshot the Hawks 25-18. Not without a little help from the Zebras as an apparent goal by Boyes was waived off citing that Niemi had frozen the puck. The Blues got hosed on that call, but I'm not going to cry about it. At the end of two, it was still 2-0 Hawks. This is where the hockey discussion ends and the fun begins.

I had planned to make a pit stop and get some refreshments during the break. Being the polite person that I am, I decided rather than make everyone in my row get up, I would step over to the row ahead of us which had been vacated. I apparently forgot that I am no longer young and nimble (then again, have I ever been nimble?) and on my way down I banged my right shin really hard on what I think was a cupholder. It really stung and as I walked to the washroom, I thought to myself that I was probably going to have to ice it down when I got back to the hotel because surely that was going to leave a big bruise. In line for the john, I looked down. And there was blood on my shoes. And blood soaking through my jeans (my good ones of course). Upon getting in the stall, I pulled up my pant leg to see more blood and a large gaping hole. I pulled my sock up to cover it, stuffed toilet paper in there, and ran to get Amy. Apparently she thought someone had died due to the look of panic on my face and my frantic waving.

I was apparently babbling, because Amy just thought I needed a band-aid, but I kept repeating, "first aid, take me to the first aid station." We made our way down there and the nice folks there pulled up my pant leg, gasped and calmly stated I needed stitches and really should go to the ER as soon as possible. At this point I nearly barfed/fainted as I don't do well with blood, I was overheated and sweating in a panic, and the look on Amy's face pretty much summed up how gross it all was. They offered an ambulance, but since I am not rich, we opted for a taxi to the car which was parked at the bar. Did you know that the asshole "guards" made us walk all the way around to the farthest door to exit even though I was basically on one leg? Amy almost punched them. Anyway got in the car, and the GPS directed us to the nearest hospital. And of course I was ecstatic that WGN faintly came in on the car radio so I could listen to the game I was now missing even as I was bleeding.

The ER was an oh so fun experience. Got there a little after 9 - the nurses checking me in jokingly told me that they couldn't admit a Hawks fan - one of the other nurses told me later she was from Chicago and was happy they were winning when I left. Waited about an hour before I saw a nurse who took my vitals then sent me out to the waiting room again. About another hour went by before I actually got into the treatment center where I had to put on a gown and promptly froze like I was lying on the ice at the Scottrade Center. About another half hour came and went before the doctor came in and started stitching me up. That took probably at least 45 minutes as I needed a ton of Novocaine or whatever it's called to numb my leg up enough (I keep saying, "I can feel that! I can feel that!") Finally I was sewn back together, 5 stitches in all (the cut is about 2 inches long), given prescriptions by the nurse, and Amy and I stumbled out of there about 1am. I have to get the stitches removed in two weeks and I guess I'll have something to show off come summer when I wear shorts. In any case, I ended the night with a dinner of 1.5 donuts that we had bought earlier in the afternoon and passed out.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the cast of characters we encountered in the ER during our visit: the prisoner who ate a bag of chips - literally the chips and the bag (a nurse commented they must have been Lays, since "he couldn't eat just one"). The random homeless folks shuffling around and sleeping. The aspiring "rapper" whom broke into rhyme randomly and tried to con the homeless woman out of change so he could get chips from the vending machine. The drunk chippy who between her and her three friends could barely fill out the admittance form. Apparently she had fallen and hit her head and when her parents arrived later, she swore she only had one drink. Maybe that's why all of the staff was nice to me because I was a) coherent b) polite and c) not drunk.

So, I leave you fine readers with two images. The first being the two pucks I collected prior to the game. They had all pucks on sale for $4 apiece. That was about as lucky as I got that night.
Secondly, weep for my jeans that gave their life for me on this fateful night. They served their owner well.

On, Wisconsin!

So aside from sulking in the hotel room watching the pitiful excuse for a hockey game last night, we did a bit of shopping and walking around Madison this weekend. I think we drove around in circles for twenty minutes trying to relocate the Sunkist ghost sign I saw while driving into downtown Madison. And then we went to two Octopus Car Washes so I could get pictures of the Octopi - one of my favorite signs I hadn't grabbed a picture of yet. Below is one of my favorites. At the second location we had to make a quick exit because they were trying to get us to come in and get a car wash - oops, sorry. I'll have more pictures of various things in Madison up on Flickr probably tomorrow.

One of our favorite activities while in Madison, is to shop the bookstores. Because if you've ever seen our apartment, you would know we don't have enough books . We ended up at Avol's and I scored two cool books, both for under $20. The first was a Marcel Duchamp art biography - a first edition from 1959. It has a lot of good pictures of his works. The second caught my eye as I walked by:


Something about the design of the cover I just love. I'm curious to read the travel tips pre German unification. The book includes pictures - below are my two favorites:


How great are those? This book is better than the German Phrase book I bought that included how to say "Help, I have the runs," to a pharmacist.

Today we first went to a postcard show with Amy's parents. They're huge collectors - my ADD only allows about 30 minutes of viewing before I get cranky. Amy bought me a cool vintage CTA subway postcard. One of these days I'll put pictures on here of all the cool Chicago postcards and other vintage souvenir type things I have. The nice thing about Amy's parents going to so many flea markets and antique malls is whenever they see cool Chicago stuff cheap (which it usually is outside of Illinois) they'll pick some up for us. We got a 1933 Century of Progress walking cane for Xmas! After the postcard show, we went to the largest antique mall in Wisconsin in Columbus. They weren't kidding - apparently it was once a canning factory (complete with working freight elevator) and they had stuff on 3 levels. We spent 3 hours there and didn't even see it all. I exercised restraint and only bought the original Star Wars double LP. I'll definitely have to go back some time - I also got some cool pictures of the water and light plant which was next door.

And of course, no trip to Wisconsin would be complete without a stop here on the way home:


String cheese, cheddar cheese spread and Sprecher's Orange Dream Soda. Yum.

Flickr: On Art and Film

We had Monday off, and Amy had a $5 off admission coupon, so we headed to the Art Institute. I hadn't been there in years (at least six because I went before I knew Amy), so I was stoked to finally see the modern wing. I enjoyed it - it's not as deep as say MoMA, or as experimental as the MCA, but they had a good variety, and the building is quite incredible. I will complain the wood floors can be quite loud for anyone not wearing sneakers. They had several pieces by a couple of my favorite artists.

As a painter, Fernand Leger is usually thrown into the Cubist movement - pretty evident as you can see by his paining The Railway Crossing (1919) on the right. I am hot and cold on cubism - depending on the artist I can take it or leave it. But my real love for Leger can be summed up in two words: Ballet Mechanique. Anyone who has taken a history of film class has probably seen it. Made in 1924, it is a silent experimental short of well - a mechanical ballet. Besides who couldn't love a film that includes Kiki de Montparnasse.



They also had Marcel Duchamp's Hat Rack (left). I know some people have issues with the concept of readymades, but I think they're genius. Several friends and I traveled to Cincinnati last spring the see the only American gallery showing of "Surrealism and Beyond." They had a lot of great pieces there including Duchamp's Fountain and L.H.O.O.Q - I can now die happy. They understandably didn't allow photos in the exhibit, but my friend did sneak a blurry picture of Fountain. My other favorite work of Duchamp is his film Anemic Cinema (1926). It includes one of my favorite quotes of all time - "Parmi nos articles de quinquillerie par essence, nous recommandans le robinet qui s'arrête de couloir quand on ne l'ecoute pas" (Among our articles of lazy hardware, we recommend a faucet which stops dripping when nobody is listening to it).




Lastly, I must explain the meaning of the photo to the left. That's me with Van Gogh's Bedroom In Arles. Being a film major, I was required to take four semesters of art history. I didn't mind as I actually enjoy art - except for impressionists - how many fucking haystacks can you paint Monet? I will date myself and say that most classes consisted of the lights being turned off and viewing the artworks via slides. It doesn't take much for me to fall asleep - honestly I fell asleep several times in band in high school and I was in the percussion section. So most classes were a struggle to stay awake even though I was interested in the subject matter. One particular class we were discussing Van Gogh and this painting. Being half asleep, I scribbled in my notes the painting's title as "Bedroom at Oral." Logic dictates that this is wrong, but for some reason, I thought that was the name of the painting. Several weeks later I was discussing the possible paintings that may be on the final exam with my friend via phone. The conversation went something like this:

"Well how about Van Gogh? Do you think Bedroom at Oral will be on the exam"

"What?"

"Bedroom at Oral - you know, the Van Gogh painting?"

*silence*

"That's Bedroom at Arles you idiot!"

Yeah, it's been over ten years and I still haven't lived that down.

Flickr: Summer in Chicago (11 Photos)

Took these last August when Amy had family in town. I thought it would be nice to put some summer photos up - it's an excellent reminder that eventually the sun will be out and I can wear sandals again. Unfortunately not soon enough. I swear, the older I get, the more I can understand moving south for the winter.

I still have lots of photos to upload. I have half of the pictures from Germany last summer (including all of Hamburg & Flensburg), the trip to the Sign Museum in Cincinnati last spring and all kinds of odds and ends. I could just upload them in a bunch, but since I'm so anal rententive on tagging and researching certain things, it takes me forever, and honestly I just have to be in the right mood to do it. I just ordered more memory for my computer because it doesn't help it is slower than molasses when I try to multitask like use the internet, itunes and fool around with my photos. If that doesn't help I'll have to start considering a new computer in the near future. I think my current one is about three, which is good, but really that's almost ancient. If I upgrade I'll think I'll make the jump to a laptop - probably a Mac Book Pro.

I really should sleep now.