Hobo stew... a little of this, a little of that, and a shoe.

There are a few things I want to blather about, and I love lists... ergo, I give you a list of random stuff that I find interesting.

Politics
To be forehead-slappingly obvious, Obama got the Democratic nomination, and Clinton has (gracefully/finally) stepped aside. Things are starting to come together, people... as long as the more extremely bitter of Hillary's supporters don't go to the dark side. I don't care who you are - four more years of similar ideology is not what this country needs. I overheard more than my fair share of anti-American sentiment abroad, and it's going to take a long time to undo that damage. Let's start now, shall we? Not to beat the old drum of "CHANGE," but I'm thinking this Obama fella might be able to get us back on track.


Art & Literature
After two solid years of sitting on my bookshelf, I've finally started de Kooning: An American Master. So far, it's fantastic. De Kooning has always been one of my favorite artists and he was really one of the last romantic, striking, artistic figures in American art. He was flawed and complex; he's compared to (and sometimes is in the shadow of) Pollock, as they were both Abstract Expressionists, but de Kooning had less bravado and was less brash than Pollock. Pollock ran the risk of drowning in his own machismo, but de Kooning was always in flux and found any sort of "definite" to be incredibly claustrophobic. He was a man of contradictions - both in his art and his life, making him a pretty awful boyfriend and husband, but a phenomenal artist.

The book also touches on influences of other artists in de Kooning's life, including the tremendously tragic artist, Arshile Gorky. The picture of life during de Kooning's time is so exciting. Poor artists running around New York City, doing things you'd think poor artists would be doing... and more. The book covers a good range of material, but manages to stay focused on de Kooning and the big picture at the same time.


Film
Chuck Palahniuk's 2001 novel Choke, about a sex addict and con artist who works at a colonial-era theme park to support his dementia-afflicted mother, has been made into a film. It features Anjelica Huston and Sam Rockwell in the leads - both very appropriate choices. I hope this isn't like most other Sam Rockwell movies, where he does a great job... but is stuck in a lame, horrible, very bad movie. The trailer for Choke is here. Judging from that alone, it seems to stick very closely to the book - the stripper scene included. Palahniuk translates well to film - it's a shame they refused to make Survivor, my favorite of his books into a film. That had real potential.

Music
I don't really have much music news, except that Calexico has announced they're releasing a new album, Carried To Dust, on September 9th. Apparently, the band's been whittled down to just Joey Burns and John Convertino for this record... whether that's a permanent change, I'm not sure. I wonder if they'll tour as a whole...

Moving on, Jack Drag, the husband of the husband/wife duo, The Submarines, has done a remix of Josh Ritter's "Rumors." You can catch it at My Old Kentucky Blog. It's pretty good - very different from the original, but still sort of stays within that sort of whacked out Historical Conquests vibe. Peaks my interest in those crazy Submarine kids.

These ain't no Sunday funnies.

Today has not been an amazing day. But rather than yadda yadda yadda about the bad and the drab and the... whatever... I figured I'd share my favorite webcomics, instead. I'm definitely not a webcomic nerd, but I just have a few favorites that were recommended to me by the bro, or stumbled upon in a fit of internet nomadism.

A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible

This is a great comic that went "on hiatus" quite some time ago (and I doubt will ever return), but like a desert jackrabbit, it had a strong and lean run while it lasted. The creators of the comic were Dale Beran, a philosophy major and David Hellman, an art major. The comic pushes boundaries in terms of content, style, and (literally) in terms of layout. The content and story themes are surreal and don't always (and aren't always supposed to), make sense. The artistic style is generally reminiscent of a relief or block print - chunky and bold; I love it and it acted as something of an inspirational source when I took relief printing in college. Yay art!

David Hellman's been working on a video game and you can check the progress of it via his blog.

Some of my favorites: "Now We Are Poor Again," "The Giants Stole My Rhythm," Can You Come and Dig Me Up?," "Christmas Disaster Special" and "Morning, Sleepy Head!"


Perfect Stars

This comic approaches sex, drugs, and 19th century literature with bold colors, curly queues and apathy... oh, to be young! It's not for everyone (it helps to like Oscar Wilde... a lot), but damn, is it ever pretty.

Favorites: "Oh Henry That Sounds So Boring" (I love the "laaaame!"), "Check You Out," and "Guess What's Boring."


The Secret Crocodile Adventure Club

A surreal comic involving various characters - 99% of which are crocodiles. It's a weird one... and I mean really weird... But sometimes really awesome... even if the jerk didn't take my sweetass guest comic.

Faves: "Erotic Bakery Etiquette," "Mohammed and Jesus," and "Cloud Wizard" (because I think that "hatitude" should enter the English vernacular.)




Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Other than ALILBTDII, this is the comic that I've been following the longest. It's also the most consistent in style, content and level of amusement. The comic usual involves a misleading picture/caption combination that's usually absurd and inappropriate. What can I say? It gets me to laugh...

There have been so many posts from this guy, it's hard to say which are my favorites... here are some random highlights: Abraham vs AbrahaN, "Vatican's Income," "Women for Peace," and "'You'll Never See These Again.'"


A Simple Apology

A pretty new comic that I stumbled upon via SCAC, I believe. It's simple and goofy - I like it.

Favorites: Poor Fish and "Sleeping Rules."


Dinosaur Comics

I'm not super crazy about this one - though I haven't followed it for very long. I will say this, however, it's kind of ground-breaking. The guy has used the exact same panels for over 1100 cartoons - he changes only the dialog. Weird, huh? And kind of awesome... in a visually boring kind of way.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a Renaissance man.

There's an interesting article in the NY Times today about "Artistic Muscle, Flexed for The Medici." It's a nice little flashback to SACI, but without the dead-out run, followed by hours of standing in a church or palazzo or piazza or field that usually accompanied such information. After reading Ross King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, dozens of articles and getting schooled by Helen, I'm quite familiar with Michelangelo and his general brilliant misery, but it was a nice refresher about the Michelangelini - the students and artists who toiled in Michelangelo's shadow... like, say, Pontormo and his creepy Mannerist style. What stands out in memory is the Deposition fresco in Santa Felicità (where Helen, our professor, came this close to interrupting a funeral service, but we ended up getting lunch and someone sneaked a huge slice of Nutella cake into the church). The bright pastels colors don't hide the weird, ethereal and transgender qualities to the fresco. It's unsettling in a way. Bearing that in mind, I was surprised to see this drawing by Pontormo - it's... very modern; made of movement. Full of surprises, that crazy Pontormo!

And apparently (though not surprisingly), most of these artists lived "tortured existences." Rosso Fiorentino died an apparent suicide, Pontormo lived in anti-social solitude, and Michelangelo was an asexual, grumpyass bastard for all of his 88 years. I should really try to check out Vasari's Lives of Artists... I imagine it's like a very well-written Renaissance version of a weekly tabloid.

If I weren't headed back to the central hub of these artists in 80-ish days(!), I would consider catching the show in NY... but I'll be up to my eyeballs in Renaissance art soon enough...

"Michelangelo designed this very panino. It is considered one of the most perfect sandwiches in the history of mankind. Here are the original sketches, as well as 498 letters to his brothers and father describing the pain involved in creating this lunch commission. No eating, please."

Ever get... urges?

When Megan and I aren't exchanging stories about spiders after lunch (worst possible time ever for that, by the way), we try to keep it culture-centric. A couple of weeks ago, we were swapping stories about artistic urges... that is to say, the way you feel when you need to do something artistic--whether it's painting, drawing, writing, etc. With her, it's writing poetry, but our experiences are surprisingly similar. There's a distracting sort of little gnawing away at the back of your mind and very abruptly, you start feeling edgy--almost uncomfortable. Your muscles tense up, your heartbeat quickens, there's a rush of adrenaline--"it's almost... sexual," she hesitated to say, but I'm inclined to agree. It's a very primitive emotion for something that is, in essence, very human.

Usually, when I get the urge to paint or draw, I don't have immediate access to the materials that I need, so I end up frustrated and irritated, or sometimes, just downright surly. Very suddenly today, I felt the need to paint. It's almost like your body just grew without warning and your skin's not keeping up--you feel confined and the only thing to break out of that shell is to create. Unfortunately, it takes me about 5 minutes to set up to paint, and in that time so much can go wrong--mostly, you run the risk of losing the clear picture you've created in your mind. I did end up painting--I'm not very happy with what I painted, but at least I did it. There is relief in that.

I've noticed that when I feel compelled to write however, it's much easier. It's probably simply because I always keep a small notepad and pen with me, or I'm close to a computer, so there's a much shorter time between that sensation and the actual act of writing. But something I've noticed with the writing compulsion is that my brow literally jumps up when I get a thought I want to write down. It's just for a moment, but I must look startled and bemused--like I've just heard an elderly woman swear.

May your artistic urges be many, always be requited, and your facial expressions priceless.

"STOP. Just stop. Next time, I'm silencing you at the fifth syllable."

Having just talked about The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, I felt compelled to post this. An artist lived in the Providence Place Mall undetected for four years. That's 36 different kinds of amazing. Make sure to go to his website and look at his statement--it's pure gold. And judging from an article or two that I've seen, it sounds like the police weren't even mad... sounds like they were actually subtly impressed. I mean, who wouldn't be a little amused?

Fantastico.


Edit: by the by, this link was provided by Rob. I would give you his blog address, but he doesn't actually post. What a little bitch.

All roads lead to...

I've had time to think. Whether on the train or during downtime at work, my mind's been going nonstop, more frantically than before. I've pretty much given up TV and while the future of that abstinence is uncertain, lately, I've been reading a lot, writing a lot, drawing a bit, and thinking a ton about Italia.

I've been chipping away at The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome during my commute and lunch breaks. I've always been a fan of Bernini, but I've come to appreciate Borromini more, even though he was apparently quite a chore. So far, it's been a very even-handed and interesting look into the lives of two very different, but very talented men- both involved in the some of the most amazing projects of the era.

Reading about some of Bernini's works especially, I thought to myself "what? I didn't see that- I have to go back!" I don't remember seeing Truth Unveiled By Time, though it was in Galleria Borghese, which we visited. And while I'm kicking myself for that, David was by far the numero uno piece piece of art I ever wanted to see. Visiting it was something of a religious experience. I left Helen's side to see Dave, before she mangled my perfect idea of him with her subjective spiel... "whatever." The only other person in the room was Ryan- we nodded at each other in silent understanding. Being in the presence of something so much larger than yourself, figuratively speaking. The Colosseum yells over you with its might... Bernini silences you.

Second to that piece is Bernini's sculpture of Constantine, which I saw... from a distance. A pretty great distance. About 200 feet. Thanks, Vatican. And I had no idea that Bernini designed the fountain at the base of The Spanish Steps... the very same fountain Helen practically dove into for a drink. No cup required. Practically half of the public art in Rome was sculpted, designed, or overseen by Bernini. Apparently, he was quite busy. (No TV.)

I got my first paycheck this past Friday, marking the first step towards Italia. The Amalgamation is about seven months away- once it hits 6, I'll flip. Anyway, I'm looking to take off maybe 10 days of work for it. One of the days is accounted for (yeah Boston and Patriot's Day!), so maybe I'll stretch it a little longer. If this past week has been any sort of accurate depiction of the rest of the year, they should be able to get along fine without me. Work study students are the best resource ever.

I traveled a lot with Rachel while in Europe (we hit Milan, Ireland, Tuscan countryside, Cinque Terre, and Switzerland), and we know that we can live and travel together, so it made sense that we team up for the Amalgamation. (Question: why does the creepy Funny Farm mascot wear a vest? Is he McLovin?) Rach is excited for it, writing in her most recent e-mail, "When I think about the wedding, I want to shout 'gheluueewoooooh!' from the top my apartment!" Since there are so many possible countries/cities to travel to, I figured we should both write separate lists of cities we're dying to visit- then, we see where we overlap. If we don't, then we could visit both of our top choices. She just sent me her informal choices: Prague, Sweden and/or Denmark. I've thought about Prague, but Barcelona is sticking in my mind like delicious sticks to gelato. Eryn has said that it's one of her favorite cities, and Samantha Brown (my second favorite travel show host (behind Ian of "Globe Trekker")), has said that it's her favorite city in the world. (I just googled her and she now has a new "Passport to Latin America..." nice!)

At the moment, I'm leaning towards Barcelona, Berlin, someplace in Greece, Amsterdam or Corsica. I'll probably have to limit myself to Florence and one or two other cities, so as to not become insane, broke, and exhausted. In any case, this trip is going to be expensive, but I hope to plan it as efficiently, reasonably, and comfortably as possible. While Sweden is tempting, I wouldn't mind going someplace that wasn't freezing. I'm guessing that late April is pretty mild in most of Europe, but I don't want to have to bring a big coat. I'm in a very Mediterranean mood. Who knows? There's still seven months, right? And FYI, I'm open to suggestions.

Monza, the Italian Grand Prix (Ferrari's home race) was today. Unfortunately, Ferrari only placed third. But it reminded me that it three years ago when I contemplated skipping SACI orientation to go to Milano for the race. Yes- it was almost exactly three years ago that I arrived in Florence- jet lagged, completely dehydrated, and stuck with a sketchy guy roommate and a migraine. That was probably the worst day of my life. And yet, there was nowhere to go but up.

Oh, Italia. You are a life lesson wrapped in sass and spaghetti.

On the subject of Art.

Yes, Art with a capital "A."

I'm a pretty big fan of This American Life. My local PBS affiliate still hasn't picked it up, but recently, the show has been putting their broadcasts out in podcast-form.

For those that aren't familiar, the show follows a relatively consistent format: it's an hour long radio program with an introduction to a theme (sometimes literal, sometimes abstract), followed by three or so stories adherent to that theme. The thing about these stories is that they're all true. They're about real people and the thrills and the cuts and the bumps that they withstand. It's a basic idea, yes, but the execution and the work involved is exceptional. Going out and sifting through people's stories- finding ones that are not only entertaining, but that really strike a chord. Its host, Ira Glass, is a rather straight-forward but compelling storyteller. He usually conducts the interviews and moves the stories along, but the majority of the story-telling is done by the people who are the focus. It really is a straight-from-the-horse's-mouth deal.

This American Life has been additionally adapted into a half-hour TV show on Showtime and is for sale in the iTunes store. I've seen three episodes so far, and they're all quite good. They have an interesting feel: part documentary, part science show, part history program. Once again, shout out to their fantastic editors.

If you find people endlessly fascinating like I do, I recommend both programs.

Back to radio program, one of my favorites episodes is actually the second most recent new one (non-repeat, that is), entitled "Who Can You Save?" Simply an incredibly compelling episode that examines how people value others' lives, both scientifically and socially, how far would one go to save another, and more. Just a warning- This American Life, this broadcast in particular, can make you laugh and weep.

This week's episode is "Blame It on Art," an interesting (and somewhat sympathetic/understanding), take on art and artists. It begins with chatting about France and the Renaissance and Florence and art... so obviously, I was glued to my speakers. But the show explores themes like success, rejection, jealousy, and alienation in the art world in a slightly different way than the norm (can you say "balloon animals?") But those themes and feelings are universally known to all artists in one form or another. Here is the direct iTunes podcast link for that particular show.

You just need to listen to it because I could pretty much just quote Ira Glass' entire intro about how sadly weird and hard it is to be an artist and get respect (though he steers away from feeling too badly). It really is a noble and simultaneously degrading, life-long endeavor... and I'll stop myself there. But do- DO- take a listen to the show. They have them all streaming on their website and the most recent episode is available to download from iTunes at the podcast link just above here. We'll get a coffee and talk about it. It'll be great.