A new Work Partner

This week I started working with a great girl named, Katrina. She is 18, has a 2 year old son, and just graduated from highschool. She has 2 tattoos, one of her nickname "mome" with a rose on her arm, and then another of her son's name above her left breast.

She is just like me: a big girl who used to do shot put and long jump in school. Then she said she changed and was in 'the streets' smoking and drinking and then got pregant.

She and I talked to over 300 kids in the past 4 days trying to convince them to wear helmets. She said she was worried, she didn't have an appetite anymore and hadn't been eating. I told her she had to eat.

She just moved out of her mom's house. She doesn't know how to cook, she got free lunch in highschool. She also wants to get her own place. She is thinking about moving into a project. She also wants to get an ipod.

In her free time she braids hair and takes her 'baby' to the park. I imagine sitting in her kitchen for a couple of hours getting my hair braided.

Supreme Court Rules the World

For the past couple of days I have been hearing supreme court rulings broadcast on the radio. On the 28th they decided that prisons were able to limit their inmate's reading material to religious and 'general interest' text. Prison officials are allowed to limit prisoner access as "punishment" for inmates who don't behave themselves. A few of the justices disented because they consider such a limit violates the first amendment right to 'receive, to read, and to think.' how un-American to think religious material could limit your ability to think.

The court also decided the USA does not have to follow the Internationally agreed upon rules of the Geneva Convention.

Maybe they made all these pro-Bush rulings because they were trying to make up for their Thursday decision which said that the secret courts on Guantanamo are not legal...

The Big 2-3 I tried to keep secret

I could not resist an american flag party set at Costco. American Flag paper cups, plates, flimsy table paper, and napkins with plastic spoons and knives (we didn't have any forks).

I also bought about 10 lbs of ground beef, 3 cases of hotdogs, humus for the vegans, 30 cans of papst, and a handle of jim bean. Then I had to get some lighter fluid, pineapple juice and ice. Armed with these I dare you not to be my friend.

Someone made a cake, wrapped inside was a mixed tape, the best present ever (aside from soap and a skeleton key chain).

MacBook Takes my Picture

What We Do Know About Ray

The Documentary on Ray Johnson's life was kind of wishy-washy, down hill and the #1 Internet claims Ray made the internet. Separating the fact from fiction re: the most famous unknown artist.
1. that is a ridiculous title.
2. rent in NY city was $28/ month in the 50's when Ray and his friends John Cage and Andy Warhol were neighbors
3. the boys were so skinny because they had no money to eat, they didn't work and spent what wasn't $28 on what one can only asume was drugs + odd art supplies
4. my life seems so wasteful, I must move to a place where rent is no more than $50/month, stop eatting and while I'm at it stop working. I imagine there are hidden places like St. Louis where rent is cheap and kids are boozing in the name of their parent's money and creation.
5. For 20 years Ray's lover was one of his teachers, a man who was married with family. I don't care if you're a man or a woman, if you aren't already messed up, that kind of relationship seems like it would fuck you.
6. Ray Johnson's art was pretty much beautiful
7. He liked to be video taped
8. He did extremely embarassing performance art, and called some of his work Nothings.
9. On Jan 13th 1995 he jumped off a bridge and killed himself. People call it performance art and act like it is alright.
10. Ray Johnson liked to send things in the mail. He started the New York Correspondence School, which wasn't really a school or even a place.



"...I think the New York Correspondence School was truly communicative simply because I was able to wheel the ping-pong paddle and to keep the ball on the move..."- Ray Johnson

Wayne "the Train" Hancock

Sunday night I went to an old fashioned radio show recording. Finally I am on the radio. You can listen to public radio sometime early in the morning on a weekend, and you might hear me clapping, or laughing on cue. I'm sure you'll recognize my signature audience presentation.

Two men played. Actually 6 did, but as is tradition we only play attention to the vocalists (drummers and bassists still considered 2nd class citizens). The first man was Chris, a boyish kid, who can technically rip up the guitar but seems so uneasy with himself he has no feelings. One would have thought the hot worn out cowboy boots would give him the confidence he needed.

The second in the 'roots country/honky tonk' line up was Wayne the Train. The man is from Texas and he really speaks like someone from "King of the Hill" (sorry that show has come up so much lately) he hardly opens his mouth. During the interview section of the show I leaned over and asked Aaron (clarify: he was sitting next to me) if that accent was for real. "It is, and just hearing him talk is worth the ticket."

Wayne's songs were about drinking, driving fast, being tired, looking for a job, and walking. Much better than Chris's ridiculous love songs that had one of 2 themes: beginning of love, or being at the end of love. Down with love songs that make life seem like such a waste of time. Up with dancing. In true honky style (?) a few couples started dancing in the isles. There was a set of 2 women and one man. He'd tool between the two, trotting them on the dance floor, ending each song with a silly pose. It was kind of uncomfortable to watch because the women seemed to be fighting over him, and he didn't mind. The better dancing couple was 2 women wearing bright cowboy boots and dancing in what seemed like a country way (not a swing style). They were smooth as they glided on the floor in their heels, occasionally doing coordinated kicks. The one wearing tight jeans lead, and the short one in a frilly dress followed.

The big question!!!!!!!!!!! Did I dance? with Aaron?

Yup! Unfortunately while I was taking Hip-hop dance classes Aaron was taking Swing dance classes, so I was nervous and out of practice compared to the current company. Timid timid timid. Then a really fast song came up and I accidentally said Yes to a hand pulling me off the bench.

Aaron had to tell me "left, right, back, left, right back leftrightbackleftrightback, now faster". If he wanted me to move he had to push me, hard. It worked out well.

An old drunk man mentioned that he was old and drunk and then said I was "Striking" because I have brown eyes and good looking teeth. Then he asked if I was an honest woman. Aaron thought it was funny.

Talent meets Meat

Everyone who reads this is Invited to My House for food and a talent show the evening of Saturday, June 24th. No talent too small or large will be turned away or leave with out a prize/booze.

Puerto Rican Pride

Puerto Rican parade is this Saturday, and already things are crazy. Flags everywhere, beauty pagents, cops directing traffic on Tuesday afternoons, and constant smell of hotdogs cooking. I can't help thinking I would probably be prettier if I was from an island.

art by mike, found on his website while searching for the lion of judah.

Hey C.M.
I just saw a king of the hill where hank went to the superdome. On the way he stopped by an old Louisiana french family mansion where he was hit on by a gay man, and began to worry because son, Bobby, started acting more gay than usual (wearing crushed velvet and Colonel Sanders style bow ties, and saying "this flower will surely whilt" while fanning himself, head tilted at a rakish angle). I wonder if talking about the superdome now is like talking about the twin towers post 9/11= really embarrassing, and you feel like an ass for ever bringing it up, even in the past, in casual or sitcom dialogue?

But why were you watching tv? My computer's broke. It won't even turn on. after going through what seems like hours talking to men in both India and Canada on 1-800 numbers, plugging and unplugging, removing batteries, and finally unscrewing the back and taking out everything i could under careful telephone tutelage they said, well your computer is 3 years old and we think the motherboard is dead. you need a new one. who calls anything a mother board these days? it was embarrassing.

the point is: you thought you knew me, but I wanted to warn you:: In the near future I might own a mac. If you refuse to talk to me for political reasons I understand.

--sarah

PS: how are you?

Open Letter to GR

Hey Gr.
why did you take all the paint off the bike? The seat stays and the chain stays are pretty bad. I spent a lot of time yesterday sanding off the rust. It is slow going. Do you think it is bad to breath in rust? At least when it is all done I will have a beautiful bike and aside from just throwing around words like chain stay, people will really think I know something about wheels etc. Did you know there are half priced burgers to be found on any night through out the city? You should come, they are good.

My computer is broken, it won't turn on. So internet and even typing has to be done on borrowed equipment. sucks.

lv
sarah

making friends/bbq

now it is summer and it seems the only way I will be able to make any friends is if I buy a grill for my backyard. I have been meeting nice/cool/hot people that I would really like to hang out with but I'm still in the Madison mentality. I feel like I can meet someone at one party and the town is so small I'll see them around at least 5 times in the next three days. After 5 encounters I can hint at the idea of us getting a drink together at sometime vauge point in the future. After 10 encounters I'll ask for their number, by this time I've known them for two weeks and if we don't end up in the same bar one night I might feel comfortable calling them because I know them and all their roomates and professors and kids in their creative writing workshop, I've read their poems in local zines and seen their movies at wiskino...I know them to the core. Then maybe we can go for a non-comittal walk or something.

In Chicago I don't think that is the way things are done. I think I will have to come up with some none threatening event like a bbq and invite potential friends. It sounds like so much work and scary. And what if they never invite me to anything? I'll be too timid to ever see them again.

One final point. In the mid-west bbq means anything on the grill (even hamburgers). In the south BBQ means sauce, tomato tangy stuff, hickory smoked. There is no such thing as a Hotdog BBQ, people would look at you funny because you put ketchup on a dog, not the sauce.