Bloomington Central Station

I ride the train to Bloomington these days. 1 hour and ten minutes
after I leave my house, I end up here... Bloomington Central Station.
The developer had plans to build a urban hub centered by a park. Three
of the proposed ten buildings were completed before the crash, and
result is an urban greenscape in the middle of a field. A touch of
Barcelona dropped into the middle of Blaine. (if Barcelona were
properly funded and Blaine weren't ubiquitous.)

Ain't it a shame...

That at the top, still those soft skin boys can bruise you?

-Rufus wainwright.

Day FOUR

The littlest things will set you off. The train this morning? Full.
The wierd wet spot on my Andy bag? Not going away. Life's unfortunate
inconveniences set the voice into action, 'See!? Life is bullshit! We
need a cigarette!'

This follows a night of crazy dreams. Dreams of building exercise
pools for big black men in wheelchairs. Scenes of underwater
interviews of the men who have been sent to assist. Moments of
pleasant surprise at the realization that those new underwater
microphones were going to work well.

If you're ever on the train while people are standing and you're
taking a whole seat to yourself, putting your feet up on the seat in
front of you, fuck off. Seriously. You're a fucking prick. Little old
ladies are standing, you fucking bag of dicks. I'm about to come over
and wipe that smug look off your motherfucking face. Oh, and...Nice
shoes, asshole. Did your boyfriend find those in the dollar bin at
Savers?

Alter Ego

Everybody needs an alter ego. A foot soldier you can deploy in life’s situations when you’d rather not. Mine is named Ryan. He’s 34, German and norweigan in decent, and he just doesn’t give a fuck.

Ryan was in the Army. civilian negotiations for the Infantry. Baically, he bought gear for men in the field from the norms who were lucky enough to score a military contract. He was good at his job, which was the appropriate assumption from all who met him. Folks at cocktail parties get the impression that this is a guy who is good at stuff.

Ryan got sloppy, though, and got himself kicked out of the military. Army doesn’t take to kindly to R&R being spent in the bathhouses of Rome, so now ryan has had to step it up a notch.

Nobody knows where the money comes from these days, Sure, an appearance at a good party can go upwards of $100,000.00 but kid lives well. His home address is listed as that of his partne’s but he hasn’t seen mom and dad in eight months. When he’s not working (which, seemingly, is never) he stays with friends all over the world. Just a regular joe, embraced by an international community of men of means. Some would call him a prostitute. His mom tells friends he’s an actor. He settled on ‘playboy’ once when pushed for an answer, and hasn’t put much though to it since. A modern day playboy, I guess. Once uncle Karl moved on, a line formed and he’s been gone ever since.

Journal of a Fast

I’m taking on something. A bit of an experiment. I’m going to cut out the things I consume that are bad for me. I am going to quit smoking marijuana. I am going to stop smoking cigarettes. I am going to quit drinking alcohol. I am going to quit consuming caffeine. I am also going to stop watching tv. I am going to fast or one month.
Bad habits die hard, and I’m a bit nervous. As a tool of preoccupation, I am going to journal my experience.
I’m expecting a few things. Obviously, foremost in my mind is the physical. I am an everyday drinker, and I smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day. The withdrawl from those two will mean a hard first five- seven days, and then I imagine the actual physical cravings will subside into something that will allow me to work on forming long-term habits.
Benefits
A newly-established primary framework, as a result of clean body and mind. This will include an appreciation for health and self-respect. Im operating under the assumption that this framework will be inevidibly superior.
I will no longer reek.
$
Innumerable health considerations.
Social considerations including self-esteem and an avoidance of Faux-Pas.
Frameworks for Success
Aside from one pre-scheduled social obligation, I will not set foot in any bar for 30 days.
I’m not making any decisions as to what habits I’ll resume after these thirty days. All focus will be on the here and now. I will look forward to December first and making those decisions based on a newly established framework.
Physical fitness and a focus are reasons to adopt a work-out routine. I will visit the gym four times a week.
A motivation tool has been established. I will be traveling to San Francisco on December 4th. It will feel really good to kill that trip. Toe-tags and Body bags.
I am informing all friends and family of my fast.

Musings on Ryan

>

> Ryan doesn't smoke.
> Ryan drinks beer.
> Ryan doesn't smoke pot. He used to.
> Ryan doesn't have sex without a condom.
> Ryan works out.
> Ryan has great skin. He hasn't always.
> Ryan is tall.
>

Day three

Day three is interesting. The sleep is what gets me. I woke up at
4:30, fearing I had overslept. I went to bd at 10:30 last night and
slept for about nine hours. For a while there, I was sleeping 5-6
hours, waking up still drunk, and doing it all over again, so this is
new for me. I look puffy.

I'm happy to have the house to myself this week. I. Makes it all the
more surreal. Also glad I'm working every day. I'm easing into this. I
drank soda yesterday and I've been watching some tv, but no smokes or
booze. I knew that would the hardest. The other stuff is just to set
up a clean living situation, hoping it'll make cutting out the hard
stuff easier.

Been more productive on the train already this morning than a few
entire days this summer.

Eric Sevareid, on the left, and Walter Port, on the right, shoved off on their journey from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in 1930. Sevareid wrote a book about the experience, "Canoeing with the Cree." (Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society)

Sent from my iPhone. (Obviously.  Most people have pictures of their kids on their iPhone. I have pictures of my iPhone on my iPhone.)

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Sent from my iPhone

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

I took a little trip to the MIA with my brother Rob yesterday. I realize that I should make better use of the institute. It's free and it's expansive. We spent most of our time in the modern wings, but one could spend a week in the period rooms and still not see it all.

A few of the things that stood out for me...

Der Postagent Haustler (Telegraph operator) -Albert Birkle

Composition with Blue, Red, Yellow, Black- Piet Mondrian

Frank (detail)- Chuck Close
Notice the "reflection" of the windows and skylines beyond in his glasses. This is a painting. Close is a genius. Minneapolis is lucky enough to have a few of his pieces at both the Walker and Wiesman.

Build it and they will come...

Target Field is taking shape. Although I'm forcing myself to reserve
judgement until completion, my initial reaction is 'swoon'. I love the
stone. I love the metal wing at the roofline. Is it a suble nod to
Ceasar Pelli's library, or a next step towards an emerging Minneapolis
School of Architecture? I'm not-so-secretly hoping for the latter.
(note the cantilevers. We LOVE cantilevers :)

King Obama

My local bottle shop has a poster of Obama in it. The owners obviously
have respect for our new president. It reminds me of posters I've seen
of budda or Jesus in other stores. We now live in a very different
world.

Trashy

These rubbish recepticles sit in Millenium park in Chicago. They're
cool. I wonder if they were done by Geary's office, because they work
really well with his grandstand and bridge.

Tough

Some drunk girls on the L (the eLevated train, Chicago's version of a
subway) asked me to take their picture. As I began chatting with them,
they told me they were afraid to ask me at first because I 'looked
mean'. I laughed at the time but now that I see my reflection, maybe I
did :) leather jacket, shaved head, dark shades. Sometimes the world
sees us differently than we see ourselves.

Then again, I've never been mugged. :)

Renzo Piano Bridge

Renzo Piano has designed a bridge for Millenium Park. It will lead to
the mezz level of the new modern wing of the Institute of Arts. Thus
far, it's a boarded up construction site, but the renderings posted
look pretty impressive. Guess I'll have to go back to Chicago some day
to see the finished product.

Then again, maybe some work is required...

Sometimes heartbreak just doesn't go away like it should.

A new medium

Why not begin again? Life is certainly more interesing than it seems.
It must be. Perhaps through a different lens?

Inauguration day