spending my savings

"you're on your way," said jeff fox*.

*jeff fox's gazpacho was named a "must-try" by the chicago tribune, in case you haven't seen.

appreciation

Inside the writer's studio:

Michael was a mod. If I was writing in the ‘60s, this would mean something different. That’s not to say he wasn’t that kind of mod. He was. He just stuck out a bit as such in 2010.

If you’re like me, the very mention that a man is a mod sends brief tingles to your nether regions. If you’re not like me, I’ll try to explain myself.

Lewis and I named him Michael; we don’t know his real name. We barely knew him at all, to be truthful. His musical preferences seemed to betray his appearance. Our first friendly interaction surrounded his complimenting my ‘90s-math-rock T-shirt. Behind those horn rimmed glasses, beneath the perfectly straight bangs, buried below the well-groomed moustache, his face smiled at me. His voice was soft and cherubic (well, the way I’d imagine a cherub might speak). His sexuality was ambiguous. So perfect.

Lewis met him a few weeks later and felt the electricity. I told Lewis of my fantasy. That’s when we named him Michael. He despised being called Mike.

My fantasy is him in his dark, labyrinthine apartment. Mahogany all over the place. Dim lights. Candles. Incense. Books. Records. He sips cognac from a snifter and has a respectable, though constrained, collection of single malts. He smokes (a pipe or a cigarette, I haven’t quite decided) and wears a short silk paisley-printed robe, chest hair the same strawberry blonde as his perfect bob haircut. If the wind catches him in a moment of urgency, you might get a peek at his you-know-what.

Lewis fantasized him painting my nails. I said toenails and jumped on board.

Do you get it? The man wore bangs and a smart corduroy jacket in Chicago’s August heat. He was kind to the pourer of his coffee and looked like he was better suited for 1964. Despite this, he dug Polvo. Dude was groovy as all get-out.

penpals for a greater america

has anybody noticed i haven't blogged in over 2 weeks?

i have just returned from an adventure across america! behold, a brief overview:

cory came to chicago! we partied! yeah!

then we visited his folks in rockford, IL. sadly, i took no photos there, but had a lovely time. his mom has a perfect little dog named chloe.

we went to badlands national park (SD) first! it was majestic and breathtaking. there was pure silence and lots of grasshoppers.

we found fossils!! we freestyle hiked to this crazy little grassy cliff to watch the sun set and realized there was an entire fossilized skeleton in the rock we were perched upon. we filled out a form to report it to the park archaeologists and by the time we hit san francisco learned they couldn't find the fossils. i think they just weren't extreme enough to make it to where we were.

half of the badlands is on a reservation. we cruised through the bustling downtown Scenic, SD. we weren't in the mood for beers just yet, though.

we really wanted to see bison. no luck in the badlands. driving through custer state park (SD), however, we found 'em!

i turned a corner and stopped cory in his conversational tracks. for about 2 miles, we saw about 150 bison. babies, mommas, poppas -- the whole gang!

it was right about when i took this photo that a man in a bison farm truck drove past and reassured us we were not being too smart having gotten out of the truck.

so we kept on cruisin' to yellowstone national park (WY).

yellowstone is massive (2.2 million acres!) and gorgeous and teeming with wildlife!

wyoming is beautiful and perfect. somehow i hardly took any scenic photos on the drive through, probably because i was driving a lot. just take my word for it.

idaho ... funny little state. the stretches of nothingness were beautiful. the towns were depressing. though, i did meet a middle-aged juggalette and did an informal interview. so, my juggalo project has begun!

we powered through nevada (least favorite state), escaping death and bigots and terror, and made it to yosemite national park (CA) in less than 24 hours. we set up camp next to The Greatest Family in America and rocked to their tunes while setting up the tent and scribbling our thoughts. stay tuned for a cross-country collaboration on a cover of billy currington's "god is great, beer is good, people are crazy".

cory heard bears bangin' around neighboring campsites one night while we were there, but i managed to fool myself into thinking it was large men snoring. what a freak.

final meal of the adventure! salad and asparagus and crusty bread and steak and beer! we ate our dessert for breakfast the next day.

whee! i'm free!! fairies are my friends! i love america!

we were welcomed with open arms by a cozy little beach-side apartment in san francisco. homemade pizza, a great record collection, and super sweet roommates ensured a lovely time at cory's home. he even lives with a cat!

all in all, a great time. so nice to see hills and mountains and grass and trees and animals and people who talk differently than me and people who think differently than me and we did so much more than could fit into one little blog post.

more photos coming soon to a facebook near you.