(no subject)

[cblj_backup]

I totally forgot to prep the photos for my Friday Photo Post last night, but I have them done now! Please enjoy:

MY TRIP TO LOGAN SQUARE

Rahm Emanuel is Very Emphatic. The guy he's half-blocking is some kind of police bigwig. I don't know who the guy in the hat is -- possibly the local Alderman -- but he has style.

I'm not sure any commentary I could make on these two would be anything other than superfluous.

This menu for Spencer's Jolly Posh Foods is the very definition of Trying Too Hard.

It's almost ridiculous how nicely the grass came out in what was supposed to be a photograph of my strawberry fried pie.

It's an awesome church! Because why not.

SOME VIEWS OF CHICAGO

I'm not sure why I'm so amused by the skyscraper reflected in a skyscraper.

Nearby is an even more awesome Chagall mosaic. I think it's Chagall, anyway. I like how they clearly built the doodah over it to protect it from Chicago Weather.

The Nothing Is Permanent graffiti artist continues. Perhaps not as pretty as my last photo, it's potentially more poignant.

We're getting an Allsaints store in Chicago, which isn't open yet but is very impressive with its facade full of antique sewing machines.

Some areas of Chicago have gas-flame streetlamps, or possibly I did a brief tour of Narnia, I'm not sure.

These are some giant dudes walkin' around without heads and they scare the shit out of me. You can see them en route to the museum campus, which also affords panoramic views of the skyline from the south.

OH SHIT IT'S THE SEGWAY BARBARIANS

SAM BLITZES THE FIELD MUSEUM

This is Hannah the Tarantula. That's not me holding her, obviously, but I did get to hold her before I took the shot.

Ohai there totem poles, how you doing?

This is one of the Nacimientos or Mexican Nativities from the all-too-brief Nativity exhibit. Sculpted and painted by Josefina Aguilar of Oaxaca, it's an interpretation of the Tree of Life motif.

AND THEN THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Unlike with Josefina, I didn't take pictures of the plates for these works, so I have no idea who made them or why. This one is a meditation upon the relationship between the physical and mental in books, apparently. (FTR that's not me in the glass reflection.)

This is called Mud Circle and is in fact made of spattered, smeared, and textured mud. It's quite impressive in person; I left that dude down there in the corner so you can get a sense of scale.

HOLY SHIT WHAT.

AND FINALLY...

Four Ways Of Looking At A Meatloaf Cupcake.

Comments

[mcgonagalls-cat.livejournal.com]

(Ummm... what is actually IN "The Full Monty"? Or do we just think that its nice it comes already-sausage-shaped? Ewww!)

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Apparently it's a banger with bacon. I'm less than impressed, but...

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

Should be a sausage with two new potatoes.

[huesiemama.livejournal.com]

Sam, I always enjoy your photo posts. This one in particular makes me thinking that living in a large city might not be so scary and awful. Thanks!

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Living in a large scary is noways scary and awful or I wouldn't be able to do it :) It's just a matter of learning new techniques.

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

LOL LARGE SCARY.

Meanwhile, I'm visiting the semi rural place I used to live and thinking, "MAN this is LOUD, and so many damn people. But I can drive to a supermarket in five minutes, so it's cool."

[huesiemama.livejournal.com]

True, true. I have had good(people, places) and bad(traffic, getting lost, finding parking) experiences in Chicago. As long as I don't have to drive, I am good! I guess living in a small town(population about 10,000, convenientlyl close to a city of about 200,000) makes larger cities intimidating more than anything.

[spiderine.livejournal.com]

The "holy shit what" one looks kind of like part of the memorial to people who died of AIDS that was up in the Boston Cyclorama last year.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I don't remember who did this one, but I know the photos are French schoolchildren from the 70s.

[sumofparts.livejournal.com]

Are the gas-fired streetlamps privately or publicly owned?

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I've no idea. They're not individual by house -- they run the length of several streets near old town and just to the north -- so I suspect they're probably publicly owned but the owners in those areas pay a special gas fee or somesuch.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

If there is not already a segway 'biker' gang, someone should form one.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Well.

There's always the flaming musical monks on segways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYykpRRuHQM

[kit-maxel.livejournal.com]

The headless giants were in San Diego by the convention center for most of the time I worked across the street from it! I always thought they were kind of awesome.

[calliope-jones.livejournal.com]

Omg. Meatloaf cupcake. Was it tasty? I so want to try making that.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

IT WAS AMAZING. So delicious.

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

After my first visit to the AllSaints on Broadway I commented, "I can totally see Spike and Drusilla backing a van up to the front door and cleaning that place out. Well, after they'd finished eating the staff."

[darkbunny.livejournal.com]

Yo dawg, I herd you like skyscrapers...

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

AHAHAAHAHA YES

[eccentrikita.livejournal.com]

(Gah sorry for the delete I was accidentally in an old post. :/)

Heyo, Sam, this is Kita with an OT link drop for Radio Free Monday. Minot, a city not far from my own bitty town and the residence of my brother and many of my friends, has been hit with historically unprecedented flooding -- at least six feet over the all-time record set in 1871. And it happened so quickly (freak deluge upstream in Canada) that they were prepared for flooding but not at all for this; all the government could hope to do was build secondary dikes around vital infrastructure. So about 11,000 people had to evacuate and their homes will be completely, water-in-the-second-story flooded. North Dakota is pretty damn good at taking care of its own -- right now there are 200ish people in shelters, total -- but the cleanup is going to be rough. The local news station is streaming their coverage (first vid) and their live flood cams (other four vids) 24/7 if anyone wants to look for themselves: minotnd.net .

Action links:

The mid-ND chapter of the Red Cross, where monetary donations are being directed, is minotredcross.org . As of right now, donations of money are appreciated over donations of stuff.

The Minot animal shelter, however, would appreciate stuff if you're in the area to give (sanitary equipment especially) or monetary donations. Their website is at svaspets.com .

[eccentrikita.livejournal.com]

Gahhhhh one more. centerforcommunitygiving.com . This one is a community rebuilding fund, basically.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info! I think someone else has linked me to some resources too. I'll definitely be posting on RFM.

[altorogue.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's a Chagall mosaic.

[hy-perion.livejournal.com]

Whyyyy would you voluntarily hold a tarantula? I mean, they're more attractive than australian spiders but aaaaaaaahhhh.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

In the words of the great Edmund Hilary, "Because it's there." I mean, when is the next time I'm going to get to safely hold a tarantula?

They are SO SOFT. And surprisingly light. It's a bit like being gently poked with cotton balls.

[hy-perion.livejournal.com]

That's a fair point. It's like the whole seize-the-day mentality I saw at Supanova, with fans in photo lines basically tackling the celebrity they were getting a photo with, simply because it was their one chance.

At least I asked permission. Mmmm Gareth.

But they're still very creepy looking. I'll never be able to look at a cotton ball again without going YOU ARE A SPIDERY TEXTURE, AREN'T YOU. YES YOU ARE. ALLOW ME TO USE A TISSUE INSTEAD OF YOU TO TAKE MY MAKEUP OFF.

[azure-chaos.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say I never thought of sausage & bacon sandwiches as being posh food (now the venison burger I had a couple of weeks ago... they also sold ostrich burgers).

I love the skyscraper reflected in a skyscraper there's something very artistically satisfying about it (but I don't know what/why lol).

The totem poles are impressive, how tall were they?

Apparently the problem with Segways in the UK is that you can't legally ride them on the pavement or the road, so that leaves...? What, grass verges? I think they look like so much fun too.

Nate

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

The totem poles -- bearing in mind I'm dreadful at estimating height -- are probably around twenty feet tall. VERY impressive.

[azure-chaos.livejournal.com]

Cool (couldn't get an idea due to the picture angle, but thought they looked pretty massive), they're probably taller than my house (to be fair, it is a bungalow lol) \o/. They look really awesome, don't think I've seen anything like it in person.

Nate

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

While I don't primarily hang around lj to look at photos, I wanted to tell you that I love Chicago (in the summer) and your pic posts of the city make me nostalgic to return. Thank you for being a single-handed force for Chicago tourism!

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

COME TO CHICAGO. WE HAVE MEATLOAF.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'M TELLING YOU, THAT'S ENOUGH MOTIVATION TO DO IT.

[gentle-thorns.livejournal.com]

I just dropped by randomly to say:

Strawberry Fried Pie sounds delicious. Do you have a recipe?

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I don't -- I bought it at the farmer's market. It's just strawberry filling folded into the middle of fried dough -- they probably used strawberry jam. I think it's different from ordinary pie dough, made specifically for frying, but that shouldn't be hard to find a recipe for on the internet.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

problem with all saints at mo is that everything is very BEIGE.