Posted: 2010-08-18 11:35:17
I think at the heart of every person is a need to explore. The desire to venture into unknown territory, be it physical or intellectual, is a desire that is simply ingrained in people. I'm not saying everyone wants to be a mountain man, but that they thirst, however much or little, for the sense of wonderment that new discovery brings.
While driving home from Minneapolis this past weekend, I stared out the window at the rolling tree-covered hills, cow pastures, and thick forests, picturing myself trekking over the land in search for some small village to spend the night. A town where there is a blacksmith, a carpenter, tradesmen and animals living in a small, self-sustainable bubble.
In today's world, this is tough to find. I live in the city. And not just a city, but the third largest city in the country. Small farm villages don't really exist here. But luckily, I have outlets for these medieval desires.
Anyone who knows me knows that this stems from my love of fantasy writing and games. There is something about the minimalistic lives led in this genre that calls to me. Maybe it's because my real life is overrun with fast-paced, technology driven actions. I spend probably half my waking hours in front of computer. (And no, the irony of playing such games on a computer does not escape me).
It's not so much an escape from my everyday life, but just an extension of it. I found out recently that a colleague of mine carves arrowheads from stone in his spare time. He referred to it as his "analog hobby," since every other aspect of his life was so digital. I suppose this love of fantasy worlds, heroically exploring fantastical worlds, is my analog hobby. It's my answer to my digital life.
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Posted: 2010-08-10 21:21:10
Busy busy weekends man. Last weekend we went out to my parents' place in the burbs for some swimming and relaxing on Saturday. Doug and Nathan joined us as they happened to be out of the city too, which was a lot of fun. Nothing like a big chicken dinner followed by tons of drinks and then shaving your head.
Oh yea, I shaved my head. Not like Bic style or anything, just a short buzz. I think my dad has been lobbying for me to buzz my head since I was about 3, and now I've finally done it. Doesn't look half bad, but I don't think it will become the haircut of choice (granted I do really like he easy it is to deal with).
Sunday we headed off to the McHenry County Fair, but by the time we got there a rain storm was in full effect. We felt a bit defeated and almost turned around, but Amber decided we should just get some brunch and see if it would clear up. One delicious brunch later and it was still rather wet, so we opted to go see Despicable Me and hope that it would pass by the time we were done with that.
And it did! So, we got to enjoy the fair in some very humid, but breezy, weather. Ethan enjoyed a few rides, then told us he no longer liked animals (because he wanted to go on more rides) and I pet some goats. The end.
We're heading up to the Twin Cities this weekend (I know, twice in one summer, what?!), and I'm really looking forward to the trip. We're getting a couple books on tape for the drive, I'm gonna grab a few bags of beef jerky, and am contemplating taking up cross-stitching to pass the time.
Guess which of those three things is false.
And now, because I know you've been loving it, a little Chicago street art.
I really couldn't tell you why he's saying "Mollie", maybe a lost love or something. I dig this kind of stencil work, though the brick makes it a little hard to see sometimes. This thing has been there for at least a year now, which makes me wonder if, because it's well done, they won't bother cleaning it off.
This Gandhi head is another on my walk to the El stop. Seems that the artists tend to pic places slightly off the beaten path, but still highly trafficked enough for their works to be noticed. Thems smart peoples.
Have a nice Tuesday night,
B
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Posted: 2010-07-27 20:58:05
Lately I've noticed a common stencil out on the streets of Chicago. The word 'nobody' followed by a period. Simple, concise, and (possibly) really deep.
The artist has frequented Logan Square over the past month, and I've see more than a few pop up on my trips to and from work. The first one I ever saw was actually his/her addition to an already existing piece. Someone had scrawled a freehand red heart on the sidewalk. Nothing special, but a nice heart. Very flowing, and certainly not unwelcome in the neighborhood.
A few days later, there was a new piece to the work: nobody.
The hues of red were a bit inconsistent, hence my assumption that the work was done by two different people. And a few feet down the block, the nobody appeared again on a wall surrounding the nicest house in the neighborhood. Within a day it was covered.
My favorite part about his piece is the dichotomy of it. On the one hand, you have the original painter of the heart, expressing love and caring. With the simple addition of a single word, 'nobody' transforms it into a sad and depressed creation. Maybe the nobody painter has a bleak outlook on life. Maybe they are just realistic. Or maybe, they just only have one stencil and don't know what to do with it.
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Posted: 2010-07-20 20:57:12
On the corner of Albany and Schubert someone decided to display their lively little painting of a butterfly. Cut with a rough saw, this little guy has been hanging there, brightening my walk to the train every morning. The most impressive part is the fact that it's riveted to the post, rather than held up by some cheap tape or a screw. That sucker is staying put.
I think this has got to be about has far from "vandalism" as you can get with street art. It certainly isn't destroying anything, or causing any harm that I can think of. I like the choice of the diamond perspective of the wood rather than just a square, especially since the lines in the background run parallel to the edges. Looks like a mix of spray paint and brush strokes, though I'm betting the butterfly itself is a stencil. Very crisp edges. Wish there were more of these around. Haven't come across any yet, but I'll keep my eyes open.
Side note: saw an awesome little stencil on the sidewalk down in Pilsen this weekend, but was walking to brunch with a bunch of people and didn't want to just stop and take pictures. I'll have to find some excuse to go back down there soon.
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Posted: 2010-07-12 20:42:30
I haven't touched this blog in a while. In fact, I said I was done with it. But you know what? Tumblr wasn't cutting it. Plus, I have a new found interest.
I think a while back I had the idea to write more topic oriented posts, rather than life-update type of posts. Well, to build on that idea, I'm going to start with posts about the street art I find around Chicago. With this new iPhone 4 camera, I'm actually able to capture these things how I want, where ever I am. Enjoy.
Chicago has had rat problems in the past, but these ones arent going away any time soon. Shot this on Huron kind of by that bread factory. Actually, it was more by the yoga studio, but rats in a yoga studio arent interesting. Rats in a bread factory are.
Id have preferred they not reverse it out like that, and Im assuming that the other half of their stencil would be perfect for just that. So, Mr. Street Artist, if you read this. Do some with the other half of your stencil.
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Posted: 2010-05-03 16:33:09
If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit slow with the updates. It took me a while, but I think I figured out why I never feel like updating the blog: I tweet frequently enough that all my little ideas and snarky remarks and taken care of. I have no reason to blog because I get it all out over Twitter (and subsequently Facebook). And I reach enough (if not more) readers there than I do on the blog.
So, with that, this blog is dead. It's a sad time for all of us, and if you'd like to send your condolences (or a monetary grievance package), shoot me an email.
But wait! Don't fret, because this was a two-part realization. You see, I still want to blog, and the 140 character limit of Twitter doesn't always satisfy my need to speak into the great black void that is the internet. So, I've started a Tumblr account.
What is Tumblr? It's a blogging service that is geared around easy updates of pictures, videos, chats, audio, or just text. It's easy to get to, just go to blog.urgack.com and WHAM, there you go.
I'll be adding a link on the home page of the blog and this guy will slowly be phased out. In fact, there are some big changes in store with this site, so stay tuned.
~B
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Dave said:
You might want to take a look at your RSS generator. It's building links to the WordPress post (which is invalid) rather than this blog post.
Also, I like the street art idea. How's that new iPhone treating you?
Also, also rats in a yoga studio would be interesting if they were doing yoga.