Thin

"Thin" is a photography/film exhibit put together by artist Lauren Greenfield.  Right now, it is living at Notre Dame's Snite Gallery, which is where I happened upon it.  As you may guess, its subject matter is eating disorders.  Greenfield spent time at a clinic in Florida where she conducted interviews, was present for treatments, and filmed/photographed her experiences.  At first, I was disappointed by how literal the photos are.  They are very un-pretty: exposing cutting scars, ribs, and under-eye circles.  It is obviously made to make the viewer react strongly, which, it was successful at.

What the exhibit really succeeded at was telling the women's stories.  While it might have been a little cheap to show grotesque females to get a reaction, I believe, that paired with the individuals' stories next to the photos, it became appropriate.  As a woman, not only could I sympathize, but understand.  While never having a severe eating disorder myself, I am obsessed with my body, as I believe most women are.  And I don't mean obsessed as an egotistical term, but obsessed as in I think about how horrible I look all the time.  I don't want this to be a personal whine fest, but I think it's an important issue that we all deal with, and it's important to discuss it.  I remember being 6 years old and being in an outfit my mom was so excited to put me in, and all I could think about is that my belly stuck out over the pants and I thought I was fat.  I didn't last an hour in this outfit.  At 6 years old...which leads me to believe that it's not just our screwed up society that makes us so uber-critical.  I grew up with strong (although sometimes emotionally unstable) women influences who always told me I was beautiful.  No matter how often our mothers, sisters, and boyfriends tell us we're beautiful, it takes one glance at a girl in a bikini without any bulges or a reflection of ourselves in a glass door for us to go back to self-loathing land.

Needless to say, the exhibit affected me greatly.  I think that it would be a good idea for anyone who has been affected by their appearance or has been in a relationship with someone with low body image to check this out.  It's a good call to attention to the issue.  If we have the power to try to rise above this and prioritize our thoughts better or if we unfortunately do not, it's empowering to see what these other women have been through and seeing their fight to live.

http://ww.laurengreenfield.com/index.php?p=Y6QZZ990

South Bend, Indiana

These towns I've never heard of keep popping up on my schedule.  When someone asks me where I'm going and I tell them, if it's a man, they immediately point out that a big university is there.  Last time it was Texas Tech.  This time, it's Notre Dame.  I didn't even know it was in Indiana.  Which, at least I knew where Indiana was, unlike one of my dearest friends : P  (love you!!).

The town is much like any suburb would be.  Complete with a Panera Bread (mmmm creamy tomato soup and asiago bread....), Red Robin, Red Lobster, Carrabbas, Houlihans, Old Navy, Borders, etc etc etc within 1/2 mile of the hotel.  These eateries were as far as I had ventured in the town.  Until today.

I'm working the overnight shift, and so, after staying up until 7:30 am, I slept in until the sun peeked in my room at 1 pm.  After a delicious lunch at Panera (no surprise there), I decided I wanted to go to Target.  Now.  There was a dilemma.  Target is 2 miles away.  Walmart is 1 mile away.  Obviously Walmart is the better more convenient choice.  Obviously I went to Target.  The hotel shuttle could've taken me, but this dear sister of mine gave me assignments to aid me on the road to self improvement, and one of these tasks is to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.  A 4 mile walk (even if interrupted with some mild shopping addict behavior and Starbucks drinkage) would definitely satisfy that.  Convinced that it was my destiny to begin this adventure, I put on my sweatshirt and new Nikes and braced myself against the fall wind.  (It actually was a beautiful day for a stroll...)

The US is, on the whole, unfriendly to the idea of being a pedestrian.  South Bend, Indiana, is downright discriminatory against pedestrians.  Not only are there no sidewalks or shoulders on the road, but no walking signals on the traffic lights.  I definitely almost got run over more than once and was gawked at by all drivers.  As the ONLY pedestrian on the road today, I felt a little alien, but I had my sights set on Target, so I kept on truckin.

Pretty soon, I felt like Buddy the Elf on his adventure to NYC.  "First I walked through the vast squishy fields of grass.  Then I passed by all the chain restaurants in the world!  Then I ventured through Horny Honkers' Hollow (apparently jeans and a sweatshirt creates a look rival to that of the red carpet or hookers on street corners).  THEN I crossed over the Bridge of Death (think busy overpass with no sidewalks...).  Then, just as Super Target was in sight, I came across the scariest obstacle of all: giant locusts!" Grasshoppers the size of my finger EVERYWHERE.  With every step I took, I displaced at least 5 grasshoppers who would jump up as high as my waist.  I've never been creeped out by these bugs, but they were SO huge, and they ran into my hands when they jumped, it's like they were doing it on purpose  (I'm starting to understand Moses better).  Then to top it all off, the crickets the size of silver dollars joined.  Yuck yuck yuck.

Finally I reached my destination.  Have I mentioned how much I love Target?  It's such a comfort in times of need and despair.  When I was done shopping and sipping at my Pumpkin Spice Latte, my zen level had returned and my nerves were calm : I was prepared to venture back to the hotel now armed with the experience of the route.  I knew what to expect, and I rocked it in reverse.

The House on the Rock

The first time I heard about The House on the Rock (and paid attention) was when reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods.  When he writes about all the gods of all religions (burnt out, forgotten, etc) convening at this place, it perked my interest.  I researched it and found out it was a pretty quirky roadside attraction just outside Madison, WI.  And for how much I love Mr. Gaiman's writing, I couldn't get the pictures he painted out of my head, and I just had to go.

In the mid 1900s, an architect, Alex Jordan, wanted to build a spectacular house on the pinnacle of a rock in Spring Green, WI.  He did this and then opened it up as an attraction.  I'm guessing because of boredom or personal interest in collecting (the guy had to be a little off if you ask me) he built/assembled/collected tons of junk, which is now part of the attraction and museum of The House on the Rock.The main attraction is pictured above: the largest carousel in the world.  This, in American Gods, is the portal to Odin.  In person, it was hot, sweaty, and overwhelming.  There are no horses on the carousel, but hundreds of horses lining the walls/ceiling of the room the carousel is housed in.  The creatures on the moving carousel range from bulldogs to mermaids.  You can't actually ride it, which is a bummer, but it's pretty impressive.  The attraction has many rooms filled to the brim with some genuine articles, but mostly crazy worthless items that end up being impressive by sheer volume.  The rooms full of dolls was by far the creepiest.  There was a full scale model of a humpback whale (with teeth...hmmm not accurate) and a squid attacking it.  Also in the same gigantic room, was an "Octopus' Garden" area where you could insert a token and listen to a mechanical "band" playing the Beatles' song while the cartoon-y octopus "played" the instruments.  There were rooms upon rooms of lavish musical sets with the same token invoked canny music.

The attraction took the most time to walk through, as there was so much to look at.  As an artist, I couldn't help but be inspired by all the objects and design.  It was such chaos.  The mass of STUFF was inspiring and disturbing all at the same time.  A lot of these objects took a lot of craft to create and assemble, and although he must have been insane, the talent must be recognized!

The actual house was the most interesting/impressive part of the attraction.  The story is that Alex Jordan wanted to study under Frank Lloyd Wright, who was his hero.  Wright, looking at Jordan's sketches, laughed in his face and told him he was ridiculous.  Obviously, Jordan was not accepted into Wright's highly prestigious Taliesen school, which happens to be 5 miles down the road from where Jordan decided to build his masterpiece in Spring Green.  The story is just hilarious to me, knowing how pretentious Wright was, and that The House on the Rock attracts more visitors than Taliesen.  The house is small, the ceilings were so uncomfortably low.  The structure is built into and on the rocks.  The interior walls are partially natural rock, and the Japanese design is beautiful.  The impressive part is the cantilevered portion that juts out hundreds of feet from the main structure:

The cantilever ends in a point, leaving not enough room for adults to walk to the end.  It was rickety and creepy and beautiful.  Here's a view from below/side.  See how it's just leaning on that one rock for support?!  Yes.  Cool.

Although it costs an adult $28 for the full tour (and no student discount...), it is so worth it.  Just about 30 minutes West of Madison, The House on the Rock is a wonderfully unique way to spend a day.

Career Women

You know the type.  50 years old, skinny, manicured, single, particular, outspoken...bitches.  Their careers are definitely successful.  They're usually VPs or CEOs of something.  Usually have a wonderful house or apartment in the poshest of neighborhoods.  They do not have animals that can't be left home alone for at least a week at a time because they travel so much (that is, unless the maid can feed the cat).  In my experience, a lot of these women are very nice and personable when you first meet them.  Sure, they're demanding, but they're used to getting their way, so we must recede and treat them in that way, for only God knows what would happen if someone stood up to them.  These women probably knew their career path at 12, and lets face it, have all the right connections, because without connections there's not much upward mobility possible.  They have everything.  And of course Hollywood has shown us in multiple movies (Kate & Leopold, The Devil Wears Prada, etc), they have everything but love.  Aw.  

I recently spent some time working with a woman like this.  When not talking about work, conversation went to her vacations on a yacht in Europe or returning home to her apartment in Soho.  She was perfectly nice.  She didn't listen to a word anyone else said, but she was smiling while interrupting.  She flirted with every man in the room.  She wore revealing clothing (if you could call revealing ribs and crocodile skin revealing).  I didn't hate her, but was relieved when her high stress form whisped out of the room.  

I am the opposite of this woman in many ways.  I could tell you a few jobs I know I would find happiness and fulfillment in.  I couldn't tell you how I intend to get those jobs.  I don't have a plan, a career or even (sometimes, gasp!) goals.  I'm not able to push everything to the side (even my happiness) for a job.  Does the fact that I run around the job world like a chicken with my head cut off and have no idea how to market myself make me less of a person?  No.  I just know that success will never come to me in this form.  It won't come from me farting around with art privately and not pursuing anything either.  So.  Crossroads?  Are the only two choices bitch or pauper?   

Chirp, chirp, CHIRP!

After a long day of travel, I arrived in sweaty Tampa.  The sketchy motel I'm staying at is in St. Pete's Beach - what I naively thought was the same thing as St Petersburg...ends up the town is 20 miles away and I am without a vehicle...  Still, could be worse.  I was definitely tired and so I went to turn in early.  I'm a little freaked out being on the ground floor of a motel so I didn't fall asleep right away.  Around 10 pm I started hearing a cricket chirping.  It was quiet at first, but then grew louder.  I tried to drown it out.  No dice.  So I got up and stomped the hell out of the corner I could hear it in.  It stopped.  Crisis averted, back to bed.  Light off, flip flops off, glasses off, vibrant floral pattern blanket on, sigh.....chirpchirpchirp....light on, blanket off, glasses on, flip flops on (who in their right mind would dare walk barefoot in this place, I don't know) over to the corner again.  This time, my weapon was a DVD case.  Slamming it against the wall, the carpet, every nook and cranny.  Back to bed.  Chirpchirpchirp.  This went on until 1 am.  I tried watching LOST to distract me and it worked for a while but I was exhausted.  Finally my brilliant friend Tom suggested I cover the area with hairspray.  That way, even if I missed the chirping bastard with my foot or DVD case, he'd hopefully be drowned in sticky alcohol spray.  I tried it around 2 am.  Silence.  I finally fell asleep a while later.  Silence.  5 am CHIRPCHIRPCHIRP.  Obviously pissed off by earlier homicide attempts, cricket vengeance was strong.  I put the pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep.  I was in and out and finally got up at 7 when my alarm went off.  Light on.  Silence.  Right when I got up, he was silent as the dead cricket I had hoped he was.  

I haven't heard from him since....but it is twilight....

(...to be continued)

Gastro Non Grata

This event at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis was fabulous.  $3 to get in = small glasses of different beers to sample, small bites of food by famous local chefs, and some highly entertaining (if sometimes not quite technically good) live music.  PLUS a meat raffle.  Wow.  Best 3 bucks I've spent in a while.  This past weekend, the food was from the chefs of La Belle Vie and Sea Change (the Guthrie's new restaurant with the coolest logo I've ever seen), desserts were from La Chiquita.  Mini lamb burgers (I know..."Liiiiisa don't eeeeeat meee") and tuna boats (for lack of a better term....canoe-shaped baguette with tuna, vegetables, and delicious sauce) were the winners of the evening for me.  Also, quite the experience to have a Ukulele Orchestra serenade at the Triple Rock.  It was like a choir of children with recorders, where all members play the same melody line, but substitute the children with grade school science teachers and the recorders with ukuleles and the melody can be something written by David Bowie.  It was fabulous.  Rope Trick was the best band I think.  They had mostly an old western vibe with much yodeling thrown in.  The lead singer has a great voice.  It's definitely an evening of surprises and scheduled itsy bitsy courses.  Don't expect to leave full unless you go for second or third helpings of everything.

The next Gastro Non Grata event should be in November at the Triple Rock.  Watch out for it!

Summer Movies 2009

I've had some time at home, working remotely, and it's been great.  Of course in this time, being the movie lover that I am, I have seen quite a few movies!  Short reviews: 

Harry Potter 6 - As a lover of the books, of course I love the movies.  This movie really played up the humor of the hormones.  The action was good, acting great (I LOVE Alan Rickman and Jim Brodabent made a great Slughorn) well, great by the adult actors...although I think the kids are getting much better.  The movie was incredibly anti-climactic though, which left me disappointed.  

The Ugly Truth - Well what do you expect going to a movie like this.... It met expectations.  It was more raunchy than I thought, but just a cheesy romantic comedy with a very attractive pair.  However, Katherine Heigel has lost WAY too much weight and is now one of those bobbleheads : (

Funny People - Hiarious.  PLUS this movie actually had depth to it.  The characters were complex and the story was quite dramatic.  I like Seth Rogan more and more every movie he's in.  The best parts I think are the lost footage of Adam Sandler with Judd Apatow and the stand up that the actors actually wrote.

(500) Days of Summer - I'm not going to say too much about this movie.  It was everything you'd expect from an indie film - a little odd, confusing, cute and silly.  The characters were just not believable for me at all.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was great in it, I've missed him.  And although I do have quite the girl crush on Zooey Deschanel, I was left quite disappointed in her performance.  Of course, if I met her, I wouldn't admit to that...

GI Joe - Yeah ... I saw it.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in this one too, but this time he had a cheesy cartoon villain voice and a crazy face.  Versatile.  You know who is not versatile?  Channing Tatum.  The boy can't even do a Southern accent.  Sad.  It was an entertaining action movie, but I did feel like the movie was made for prepubescent boys.

The Time Traveler's Wife - I was so excited and nervous for this film.  The book by Audrey Neffeniger might be my favorite book...ever.  I am so happy to say that the film didn't let me down.  Obviously there are things I wish they included or didn't change, but I think they did a wonderful job with casting, effects, and overall editing.  This film has had a lot of bad reviews by people who didn't read the book - apparently they find it creepy, which I could understand.  So if you haven't read the book, read it.  You won't be disappointed, it's nothing like The Notebook or those other cheesy stories.

District 9 - See it.  Holy moly see it.  Imagine if ET was even more humanized and ostracized...The film style was documentary which pulled you right in to this story.  The story itself was inspired by the Apartheid and the immigration "problem" since then with Zimbabweans coming into the black ghettos of South Africa in the 90s.  If you're squeamish with gore and blood, this isn't the movie for you.  If you're ready to see a film that makes you think and feel, please go.  And bring me back a baby alien.

Julie & Julia - My expectations were not exceptionally high for this movie.  I knew it'd be good, but I didn't know how good it would be!  Meryl Streep.  Holy moly.  The last movie I saw her in was Mama Mia.  And well, the director must have told her to act like that...because this woman is SO talented it's ridiculous.  She NAILED Julia Child.  Mannerisms, tone of voice, expressions, everything.  Not only did she copy Julia, she created such a lovable character!  Amy Adams was also good, but was totally outdone by Meryl.  I also loved the husbands of the movie, Stanley Tucci, and that other guy (whoops, forgot).  The characters were wonderfully written and played to perfection.  I highly recommend this movie.

Inglourious Basterds - Best movie of the summer in my opinion (District 9 is a close 2nd).  If anyone can rewrite history, it's Quentin Tarrantino.  As much as a prick he can be, he really is brilliant.  Most of the movie has subtitles and I'm so glad they cast native speakers for these roles, it's hard to read sometimes cause you're caught up in the actor, and you have to remember to read as well.  If its any indication on how good it was, I saw it Friday night, and Saturday I wanted to see it again.