summertime in the city is getting weirder and weirder. my usually laid-back normal bars have turned into pick-up joints because everyone is trying to get some summer loving before labor day. i've never had two strangers in one evening offer to buy me drinks, but these dark-rimmed glasses types are getting aggressive.

we ended up leaving the burlington at a quarter before one. being in logan square, it would have been a 45 minute walk home at least, but i started walking home, hoping to catch a train. i saw one go by, meaning the next train would come by in another half an hour - thanks, cta! - so i just started walking. I then realized that 45 minutes is a long walk when it's after one in the morning and milwaukee ave. is quiet except for the occasional bicyclist. And occasionally, that bicyclist reminds me of why I love chicago.

as I walked down the milwaukee ave. sidewalk, past california and by the bubble land laundromat, a guy biked past me, just slowly enough to smile at me. i smiled back. then he said,"hi." so i said "hi." then he pulled off the bike path and onto the sidewalk, asking me if i had a long walk, that he just thought that i might be bored, did i need a cab. then he introduced himself, and we - tom and me - shook hands, at the same time as he was riding his bike next to me on the sidewalk. we chatted for a minute, about how i should have used my bike, but i thought it was going to rain. i didn't really want a cab, even though i was tired and maybe 45 minutes is a long walk, but my new bicyclist friend flagged one down for me, so i took the cab home.

i'm almost positive that i'm almost a responsible adult. i'm' not sure why i aimed for this goal, but it's probably due to my anxiety about aging. honestly, i don't appreciate cellulite. i haven't had a cigarette in over two weeks. now, i know that this isn't a big deal to a lot of people, but i've never gone two weeks without smoking since high school. unfortunately, i've been congested for the past few weeks because of my newfound allergies to chicago, meaning that i almost feel like a smoker. here's a list of common allergens in illinois, although i haven't figured out which one/s i have yet: http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/common/states/IL-common-allergens?from=pollen_forecast_common

i've been running for the past two weeks and that's going alright. there's a nice running path along the lake. i'm not sure what i'm going to do about running once i move. i'm moving into a really beautiful renovated house with a roommate i found off of craigslist. i've never done anything like that before and i would probably never post a roommate listing on craigslist because i wouldn't want to deal with all of the roommate rejects, but she seems completely normal and adult-like. the rent is cheap and in bucktown, of all places.



even though i'm more responsible and adult-like than ever, i've been in a really bad mood for the past few days because i still, and this is the perennial question for me, don't know what i want to do with my life. i don't want the meaning of life, i just want to know what to "do." "do" i get my phd? when "do" i get my phd? "do" i get any arts-related job? "do" i even need to care? why can't i just "do" something not so special and deal with it? i "do" feel so young.

at work, so i don't have much time to talk about life. i'm on new anxiety meds. it seems to be going ok. lorazepam. i registered for classes. now, they can change, but here's the one i'm most excited about:

Art History 5005

Current Writing in Art History

This course analyzes the most significant methods currently practiced in art history. It is intended for students who may want to go on to research and write art history. We will read art historical texts written within the last ten to twenty years, in order to exemplify various approaches: structuralist, psychoanalytic, deconstructive, De Manian, semiotic, Marxian, feminist. Authors may include Krauss, Steinberg, Fried, Clark, Alpers, Baxandall, Crow, Bal, and Foster. This is primarily a reading/discussion seminar, fulfilling an alternative requirement for students working on the Master of Arts in Modern Art History, Theory, and Criticism.
You must be a Master of Art History student to take this course.

to celebrate and/or mock the summery weather, i will only wear super-bright colors for the next few months.

p.s. i am at work. i can get on livejournal, but not myspace at work. a good day of work is one when i can access the this american life webpage. sometimes it's filtered, sometimes it's not.

i'm trying to help james put together his new furniture from ikea. unfortunately, i'm here on my computer because it is really difficult for two people to try to put together a dresser...wait, i just returned from holding a piece of particle board. i'm mainly here for support. support is a messy business when you would rather be doing something else, but you know that you wouldn't want to put together a dresser yourself without any company.

i'm going to start podcasting--watch out!

i went to work yesterday at 8, but Dell sent everyone home at around 10. Driving home on 1-35 seemed fine. Barely anyone was on the roads and everyone was going below fifty. Past Highland Mall, there were two cars on the left shoulder that had an accident. Then, my car spun across two lanes, turning 180 degrees backward. I guess that there was a patch of ice on that spot of the road.

( year in review )

send me your address if you would like a homemade present for the holidays!

i'm still at work editing

Who's been the highest paid entertainers in Australia for the past two years?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/arts/04wigg.html?ex=1165899600&en=befde71b8cd2c091&ei=5070

This article focused too much on sad housewives, but it gives you a good summary of what The Wiggles' influence has been