A Book by its Cover

If I look like a child in an old woman's coat, it's because it's the truth.

Sleeping in a Lion's Den

Once I stole your Bob Dylan CD and drove around town listening to nothing else. I imagined Bob Dylan arriving in New York at age 21, looking like the young kids who hang around on street corners in our neighborhood. The way he said "Green-witch" reminded me of you.

I used to know that every song on that album, but now the things that stand out from the backdrop are a song about Woody Guthrie, and this:

A lot of people don't have much food on their table, 
But they got a lot of forks n' knives, 
And they gotta cut somethin'.
  
Got that right

I Hope You Have a Nice Trip, See You Next Fall...

Autumn is hard. For a girl who prides herself on steeliness it is difficult, having to smell, feel, hear, taste a season. Hard because it means something. Fall has always been that time for me. Apples never taste so crisp, so tart at any other time of the year. Leaves crunching beneath the feet. The air smells different. Is it because I share a hometown with Ray Bradbury and all his Hallowe'en carnival madness? If that was so, I may as well live on Mars... and yet... It makes having to attend municipal events based on this very nostalgia that much more bizarre.

I love the fall because it truly is the time that I feel emotions most deeply. Maybe I should fear it for the same reasons, and yet I do not (or maybe just a hair). I've always loved the changing of the colors of the leaves, the briskness in the air, and the sudden impulse to pull a jacket towards oneself. I love the artistry of a hand crafted caramel apple and the silliness of a child's Halloween costume. I've never felt anything as deeply as I've felt "FALL" and oddly enough it's hard to admit that it's my true vice, more than the call of a fine wine, exquisite sex, or a the artistry of a gourmet meal. I'd rather have my ear screamed in by the teenaged employees of Great America's Fright Fest than any other siren song. This is the modern times' Dust Witch.

Bittersweet is the only word that can truly be used to describe this feeling and yet, it can never fully describe the pounding in my heart and ears, the chill on my skin, the freshness in my nose, the crisp taste on my tongue, and the mist in my eyes.

The sound of a foot crashing through a pile of crimson and gold leaves, the taste of cheap chocolate on the tongue, the impressions and tightness of the band of a cheap drugstore mask; These are all the marks of the season, the intonations of both the newness of the school year with it's pop culture folders and newly sharpened pencils, and the the dying of a season, the smell of mud and leaves and life returning to the earth for another turn.

The stakes always feel higher for me at this time of year, perhaps because everything is felt with that much more intensity.

My Baby's All Grown Up: Volume 3 of Rachel's Bridesmaid Tales

This weekend was the bridal extravaganza known as Melissa's wedding. Thanks to my commitment to try to stop crying in public, I chickened out of a speech. It probably would have been a more speech-like version of this. This fine photo is the first picture of me and Melissa together, and is the photo inside the locket she gave me as a bridesmaid gift. Outside my immediate family, I've known this little lady longer than anyone, even my sister, who was a mere sea creature swimming in my mommy's big belly, making her sweaty and uncomfortable at the time this photo was taken. Melissa's been like another sister to me, complete with all the heartwarming moments, tears, embarrassments, great times, and petty jealousies that come along with being that close to another girl. As my father would attest, Melissa can be a handful. Ok, let's face it, he dreamed of a permanent "time out" for all of us when she'd come over. That said, and despite the fact I thought I'd never consider any boy good enough for Melissa, I think she's found a perfect complement in Joe, and now I know that nobody could ever treat such a great girl so well, handle all her craziness, put up with her messiness, and love her as much as I do. Despite some of the feelings I've had surrounding weddings recently, and all the inevitable jealousies that come to a so-called spinster of nearly thirty, I had a great weekend celebrating my dear friend's wedding. Congrats to Melissa and Joe. I love you guys!

Here are about five million photos:

Ladies at Kit Kat Lounge

Another kind of lady at Kit KatBaby girl!Making new best friends!Makeup for the big day!Me and the brideSistersMelissa and Caroline, one of the maids of honorCandid shot with RhiannonBouquetImportant propsMight as well have a sense of humor about itPlace settingFirst dance with Joe

Grandma stole all Christy's dance moves
Hava Nagilah- this is right before Joe fell off his chair
That crazy Curren familyNewlywedsWhite girls can breakdanceOwlface
Onward to the Honeymoon Suite

Zombie: A Mindless Affair (also an awesome one)

Night Cemetery
Deborah Boardman
gouache on paper
2007

Zombie: A Mindless Affair
Curated by: Edra Soto

Also Project Wall Space:Irene Perez

ZOMBIE ARTISTS:
C Through Outfit (Erik Brown, Catie Olsen, Carl Warnik and Dawn Reed)
Deborah Boardman
Nate Lee
Jason Mena
Mindy Rose Schwartz
Amanda Browder
Derek Chan
Christopher Simkins
Christopher Smith
Ann Toebbe
Harold Mendez
Paul Nudd
Noah Berlatsky
Vladimir Kharitonsky
Dan Peters
Gretel Garcia
Susannah Kite Strang
Rachel Hewitt
Corinne Halbert
Bert Stabler
Beatriz Monteavaro
Miguel Cortez
Edra Soto
Candace Briceno
Death by Design Co. (Teena McClelland and Michelle Maynard)
The Wiener Girls (Sydney Croskery and Katey Rafanello)
Betsy Odum
Jen Thomas and Bobby Lively
Chris Hammes
Andrea Jablonski
Jeff Libersher

ABOUT: Zombie: A Mindless Affair

Celebrations that invite us to observe a historical occurrence are still strongly practiced in contemporary culture. Halloween, as celebrated is America, profoundly depicts the strongest features from gothic and horror literature, film, TV, and graphic arts. Among the repertoire of traditional characters, the zombie distinguishes itself for possessing the biology and behavior of a normal human being, yet lacks consciousness. This exhibition uses the vernacular of the mythological zombie as a starting point to engage in ideas of death, mindlessness and symbolisms for the occult and inexplicable. The term zombie also intends to address issues referring to the mindless self in a social spectrum: leading and following; acts of automatism and fanatic behaviors.

From 6:30-7:00pm on opening night:
Join author Scott Kenemore, artist Mindy Rose Schuartz and collaborators Teena McClelland and Michelle Maynard from Death by Design Co. in conversation. They will talk about the darkness that enlightens their work. Screening of the film made by Death by Design Co. immediately after the conversation. Moderated by Edra Soto

Opening Friday October 23 from 6pm-10pm
October 23 - November 21, 2009

ANTENA
1765 S. Laflin St.
Chicago IL 60608
www.antenapilsen.com
antenapilsen (at) gmail.com
(773) 257-3534
Hours: by appointment only

This is all the info on a show that I'm going to be in. It will be great because I will be there, as will a few zombies, no doubt.