this blurry photo

you only need two wheels

2008-08-23T17:32:57Z

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.

adult-like

2008-06-23T14:20:37Z

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.

deckorinna @ 2007-04-25T11:40:00

2007-04-25T16:44:39Z

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.

deckorinna @ 2007-03-09T14:13:00

2007-03-09T20:15:33Z

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.

boring sunday

2007-02-26T02:03:28Z

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!

thanks, weather!

2007-01-16T23:12:04Z

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.

i guess i'll do this too

2007-01-06T19:13:19Z

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Graduated from college, ate dinner at the co-op, got a pedicure, got my first 40 hour a week job, got paid for copyediting and writing art reviews, and some things that you really shouldn’t hear about

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My new year’s resolution from last year was to be fancy. I think that I’ve stuck with this one better than any other resolution ever. I should probably make a resolution to be healthier this year and to be happy regardless of what comes my way (meaning that if I don’t get into graduate school I shouldn’t take it too personally).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? no, but some of them got pregnant

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit? I almost went to France. Who would like to go on a vacation with me? And give me money for the trip.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? I’ve started procrastinating. So I guess that means that I should have more self-control and motivation? Whatever, I’m fine. I would like to be better at hobknobbing.

7. What date(s) from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? I don’t know if it was this year or last, but when Meg drove to Austin and back after getting mugged. My birthday because, among, other reasons, I started my personal trend of saying,”Whiskey is the devil!” Lots of days this summer were strange. Life after graduating from college is disorienting.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Employment as a copyeditor and arts writer is a big achievement for me because it means that (some) people believe in my ability to be an integral part of the arts field.

9. What was your biggest failure? Hmm…Doing things that I shouldn’t.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? Nothing other than a cold. I stopped taking my anxiety meds.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Gifts for other people, books, stuff from ikea, nice hair conditioner, I can’t decide.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? All of the women and men I know who keep on doing what they do

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Lots of DUDES

14. Where did most of your money go? Gynecologist/doctors, Forever 21, GASOLINE

 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? ARTS STUFF, Marfa, seeing The Strange Boys, people

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? “How I Wrote Elastic Man” by The Fall. I don’t know if I can tell you why.

  17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 i. happier or sadder? Happier
 ii. thinner or fatter? FATTER (whiskey is the devil)
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, actually.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? reading. art. cleaning my house! 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? boys. drinks.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I already did with my family

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? Yes I did and I’m ok with it.

23. How many one-night stands? You don’t want to know.

24. What was your favorite TV program? project runway. Stuff on animal planet. Law and order.  

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Yes.

26. What was the best book you read? The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? KEXP Song of the Day Podcasts!

28. What did you want and get? fun

29. What did you want and not get? Fun, a rewarding job or even a somewhat rewarding job. Or a job at a museum. Sleep.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? I only saw two new movies in theaters this year and they were xmen 3 and another movie, but I don’t remember the title, so don’t ask me this question.   

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 22 and drank too much whiskey, but I had some of my favorite people around me, so I was content.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I could understand other people.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Dresses and boots and fake gold

34. What kept you sane? Other people. The new york times crossword puzzle.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I don’t know, but I started looking at celebrity gossip blogs this year, so I can tell you who I hate!

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I can’t decide.

37. Who did you miss? Meg and anyone else I don’t see often enough. This includes you if it’s been over a month since I’ve seen you.

38. Who was the best new person you met? Nikki Hart

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: Tell it like it is!

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: None of the song lyrics I know are practical, sorry, but I do know this one by Apples in Stereo:

“When you're going to the place
Where you work you have no face
Don't you wanna go? Go baby! The moment that you get there? Go baby!”

xmas

2006-12-11T04:23:08Z

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

deckorinna @ 2006-12-08T00:31:00

2006-12-08T05:31:52Z

i'm still at work editing

Orthostatic intolerance

2006-12-04T17:46:04Z

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

all i have to say about applying to graduate school and everything else in my life:

2006-11-27T02:40:01Z

i'm working on it.

IKEA

2006-11-15T21:36:00Z

Ikea has a really great shrimp and egg sandwich. It's better than the Swedish meatballs.

deckorinna @ 2006-11-06T16:43:00

2006-11-06T21:43:33Z

it's november and i'm wearing a tube top. only a few days ago, i was shivering while wearing a jacket. i should be used to Texas weather by now, but i don't want to settle for something I don't like or appreciate.

see above for why i'm not at work today.

deckorinna @ 2006-10-22T15:00:00

2006-10-22T19:57:17Z

most of the time, i'm trouble. sorry. also, i can't find a cheap costume. originally, nikki and i were going to be betty and veronica, but that's not feasible. then, i was going to be either an astronaut or barbarella. again, not cheap. thanx halloween for being so difficult on me!

deckorinna @ 2006-10-05T02:18:00

2006-10-05T07:12:39Z

all i'm saying is that i'm going to be one part of a famous duo for halloween. it's a secret!

deckorinna @ 2006-10-02T16:39:00

2006-10-02T21:34:51Z

i said "fuck" in front of 6th graders today. i'm sure the brats will get over it. again, why am i substitute teaching?

newsflash dos

2006-10-01T00:49:58Z

don't worry, i'm not pretentious.

NEWSFLASH!

2006-09-21T21:01:11Z

"A NEW energy drink that crashed parties in the US last week is called Cocaine, and its makers are billing it as "the legal alternative" to the drug.

The drink's maker maintains that "doing Cocaine", the beverage that is, gives a bigger and better high without the crash other energy drinks cause.

They say a high hits within five minutes, followed by a caffeine boost 15 minutes later. The ride lasts five hours and the concoction is "350 per cent stronger than Red Bull", they claim.

They argue the effect is part chemical - the drink uses "simple" sugars that don't need to be broken down by the body to create a sugar buzz, and a much larger dose of vitamin B12 - and part psychological.

"When a person sees the name of the drink, some psychological effect happens and the person is already experiencing the energy buzz before they even open the can," speculates Cocaine inventor Jamey Kirby, whose company, Redux Beverages, is based in Las Vegas.

"I can think of no other product except real cocaine that could have that effect on the public."

Taste-testers say the drink hits hard. "It does give you a little rush," one sipper said.

Another hated the feeling the drink gave her. "I don't like the tingly feeling in my chest. I feel my heart racing and I'm not being paranoid . . . I feel looped."

Kirby said an ingredient was added to slightly numb the throat to add an oral sensation much like cocaine does.

The company is marketing the drink to partygoers."

bonjour madame kirsch!

2006-09-12T04:08:29Z

today was my first day as a substitute teacher. i don't even have to begin to tell you that this is nowhere close to something that i want to be doing for the long-term, but it went surprisingly well. i taught a 4th grade class. The only problem was that after recess and lunch the kids would not settle down and be quiet. about four of the kids made drawings for me as presents! also, they asked me how old i was and i told them that i was 33. i said one thing in french and they kept on asking me how to say other things in french, so i ended up giving them an impromptu french lesson. the only word that i didn't know how to say to them was "monkey." Overall, they were all really sweet, but I honestly don't know how people can spend all day with kids.

for my next article, i'm going to write about podcasts! more specifically, about how arts organizations are using podcasts, so i will need to do some research.

i was trying to take a picture of captain with a cigarette in his mouth (because i have a really dumb sense of humor) and he ended up losing one of his baby teeth.

my to do list for the rest of the week:
find out when to take my mailman exam (i'm not joking! i want to be a mailman)
tell my mom i want a new comforter for my birthday
set up for the donkey show on wed., thurs., fri.
finish my Acker book
read Acker criticism
buy Advantage for Captain
buy cat food
buy food to make sandwiches
send that letter
get a trim

ok, that's getting really long and boring

deckorinna @ 2006-08-22T18:45:00

2006-08-22T23:40:58Z

how the hell do i end up having to involve feminism with every art review i write? it's fine except that i think my editor expects me to know more about feminism than i actually know. here's her comments on my yet-to-be-published review:

Could you perhaps talk about how these different types of feminism are working (or not) together in the space and conceptually in the show?

In the conclusion, I’d like to see you take on is a little institutional critique.

Institutional critique!

i'm sorry, but all i ever do anymore is complain. whine whine whine.

this week i transcribed an interview for the first time. it took me all day. i'm really not complaining because i got paid.

also, i keep on saying fuck all of the time. when the fuck did i start that? it's really getting ridiculous just how much i'm inserting fuck into my sentences. i say things like:

OH MY FUCKING GOD! (this really doesn't make sense)
I AM SO FUCKING TIRED and I NEED TO GO TO THE FUCKING GYM.
WHY HASN'T THE FUCKING MAIL COME YET?
WHERE'S THE FUCKING CREAM CHEESE?

complaint

2006-08-07T01:58:00Z

Maybe this is just my personal preference, but I think it's a really bad idea for a DJ to play Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, and then that "Boys of Summer" song (one after the other). I don't care if it's 1:45 and the bar is about to close, you can't play whatever you want. Were these songs ever popular? Am I too picky? "Boys of Summer" is not a song that makes me want to shake it on the dance floor. I imagine that more people have sat on couches, smoking weed to that song than those who have danced to it. Anyways, this was at The Beauty Bar. I didn't have a bad time, but it could have been much better.

deckorinna @ 2006-08-03T00:06:00

2006-08-03T05:03:12Z

this season's project runway is going to be good!

Meg, can you check your gmail account yet?

2006-08-01T02:51:44Z

I'm reading Jonathan lethem's the fortress of solitude. criticism of the book aside, i am glad that it has made me think like a narrator. that switch just turned on! for example, i just got home from the gym, and while i was on the elliptical machine (for 35 minutes, frontwards and backwards, because i am a pro) i was thinking,"Corinna took tiny breaths, in and out, like a whistle without the shrillness." it's not the best example i could give, but hopefully it illustrates the narrative situation.

hyde park gym is only $30/month. ok, there are no tvs or music and the equipment is kind-of old, but i only need a treadmill, an elliptical machine, and my ipod to workout. i'm just letting you know how cheap it is because i care. i care about you, you, and you.

deckorinna @ 2006-07-14T16:17:00

2006-07-14T21:18:45Z

In case you're interested, here are two links that show what I've been doing lately (yes, i am on youtube):

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

www.fluentcollab.org/mbg

The second article I wrote for mbg wasn't as good as the first, but it's still readable.

deckorinna @ 2006-06-30T06:21:00

2006-06-30T11:18:32Z

here is the way to find my article:

www.fluentcollaborative.com/mbg