Maybe something rejuivinating
But definitely something to help kill the stress that is continually chipping away at my smiles
:D :) :P :O
So I do the S's, grab my effects, and head out the door to catch the 11:04 leaving the lilac village coasting into that majestic metropolis; Glass and glory...the Windy city...I lovers her...
My car...
I call her sunny, we have a crazy bond and these are her last days. I've slept many a night in her (Urban Camping FTW!!!), seen many a site with her, and she's been an amazing car. This morning we coast to the train station and the only parking I can find is a hike from the station. To boot the train is fast approaching...
...So...there is a problem with her drivers side window these days. I apply some super strong duct tape to it, hoping this will keep water out, because the world is calling for rain at some point on this beautiful day.
*Gun cocking* BLLAAAAAAH DOW!!! I"m off...pushing my dolley, which holds my PA, that allows my back pack to rest on top. I get up to the train platform and within two minutes the train arrives. The tiny Buddha is no where to be seen or heard from. I say fuck it and hop on the train anways...if he comes AWESOME, but if not there is still a lot of potential for greatness. I'm coasting along reading "The Spirit Molecule" when my pocket begins to vibrate.
"Hi ya hi..blah blah..might not come."
"Oh, blah blah blah...artist stuff, you should come, I drank too, blah blah blah...not many days like this left."
"Hmmm, i'll be on the 1:04"
"Awww :D"
I hop off the train and into the fast passing masses...
Colors, so many colors, and bold fragrances that somehow infiltrate my extremely stuffy nasal passages. I do some running around, this and that, and then set up shop in front of the Walgreens on Michigan ave (across from millenium park) DUDE!!! we've got a lot of walgreens and please for the love of god, tell CVS they don't need to keep up.
I push play on the iPod and the minutes begin to melt away in the most amazing way. Fingers, arms, wrists...Today is all about waving, not in that middle america beauty queen way but more so in that "Holy hell what is that guy trying to do with his body" way. I'm a lengthy dude and as I watch my appendages flail about via glass reflection (aka Street Mirror) I'm glad to have the extra inches on other dancers. Beats Antique put out a new album...Kai snagged it for TMY and TMY gave it to me in a trade. Pimp Sauce...because now I give it to everyone and bump it on these lovely blocks.
I start to get over run by crazy homeless folks and since I don't have any holy water I pack up my things and head down the block. Next stop...Art institute college...or what I will now call "Hogwartz School for the extremely Pretentious"...SO MUCH DAMN PLAID!!! and a lot of non showering going on...but I digress and only because they didn't embrace me as one of their own. Next time I set up in front of their, I'm bringing girls jeans and not showering for at least a few days....once again I digress
Her name was Jessica...
She had cute pig tails and was smoking all alone. I began to do my thing and her cheeks became extremely rosey. A few friends joined her and they enjoyed watching people freak out as they passed me by. I'm set up outside the art institute college, because I think this might be a place to catch some open minded people who'd dump some change in my bucket for a good cause...WRONG! All I got was a lot of plaid and a shit ton of looks like...
"If he was a real artist he'd probably shower a lot less."
Definitely some vocalized contempt...but there was this extremely cute girl who freaked out when I started playing some Lupe. It wasn't long till Joe showed up and it was time for my days adventure to switch gears.
I'll forever be in debt to this magnificent artist and I continually find ways to assist him on his journey. So I asked him to come out with my today so we could shoot some time lapse footage of him "enhancing" some Chicago sidewalks. We spotted a few areas and the Tiny Buddha did what seems to come so naturally to him. He's a creative fellow with a grip of amazing commentary that enhances the already beautiful Chicago day. We run around various spots, riff about if this corner will work, is it illegal to draw on sidewalks, and eventually end up getting Oreo shakes. There is some mild police harassment towards the end of our sessions. I guess my bucket was obstructing the sidewalk.......
....I can't stand Cops!!! So we peddle our persons else where.
Right across from the theater were suppose to catch a special screening at is our final spot. We got to what we've been doing all day, except this time Joe becomes a bit more precise, focuses on a smaller area and the results are splendid. He tells me later on during our train ride home that, chalk isn't his medium but the results from the days trials in my opinion are fantastic. Definitely turned some heads, got some people to smile, handed out some cards for the conference, and added another great memory to an always climbing friendship.
As were winding down, bumping tunes, I'm trying to hustle a few more dollars into the ole bucket, this girl comes walking across the street BAREFOOT...four lanes of traffic...BAREFOOT. She sets up right next to my PA and starts dancing. She doesn't respond to any of my questions and just vibes with the music. Finally after enough consistent prying I learn her name is Amore. She stays by us for a while but I continue to get an extremely uneasy vibe from her. She's really spacey and ya know...STILL BAREFOOT! After her a dude in a cowboy hat comes up and begins talking with Joe about GOD and Art...I get a call from a dancer coming in for the conference and handle that. I get off the phone and man, they are really going, building layers, tearing them down, and all the while this man has some of the craziest eyes I've ever seen.
We take pictures, part ways and cross the street to meet the loverly Izzi. The peoples in the box office are nice enough to let me stash my equipment and we unwind with a few hibiscus chillers before the movie. Izzy has brought us out to catch a screening of "Exit through the Gift shop" a film by internationally acclaimed street artist Banksy. The feature was AMAZERING! really inspiring stuff and it sparked some great debate as we walked izzy near her bus stop. She's a great friend and this evening was sharing with me how she finally made it "in the box" of the Chicago reader.
I remember coming home and watching my friend struggle to find a job. She had her MBA and a large wealth of world knowledge that I'm sure few people can bring to a job. She was living in the very basement that I'm now striking these keys from. Things were bleak...then...but now. She is married, has a beautiful daugther, and has taken off in so many ways as an artist. Went from writing for Beep! to the daily herald to the widely circulated Chicago Reader. I'm surrounded by a lot of greatness and I continually try to give praise to those and to the forces that have carefully placed these people in my life.
Joe and I make the 10:40 train back to lombard with NO TIME to spare. This makes me extremely happy and the ride home is wonderful. We recap on the year we've spent and all that the two of us have accomplished. We joke about getting a fake advertisement from Banksy for all our future projects...its not like the guy could sue us....could he...I mean he sort of doesn't exist. Anywho! We step off the train and start to walk in the direction of our cars passing the wonderful Lilacia park. I stop pushing my PA for a second and select "If you want Blood" by AC/DC...
...It was my birthday song this past year, it's become sort of my theme song, and definitely rocked a large grip of unsuspecting campers at UGS this past summer. I'm serious though, if you want it YOU GOT IT! Because I work extremely hard to build substance in an extremely unstable world. I protect the things I love with fists, fire, and fury!...
We part ways and I reach my car feeling extremely accomplished in the day. Made a little money, definitely got some great footage to help my friend down the road, kicked it with two amazing peoples, while seeing a great flick, and interacted with a ridiculous amount of peoples. I sure am going to miss days like this in the coming year but while I can have them I will.
I appreciate the read :D
When I leave Chicago this will be the main way I communicate with the world. So make sure to subscribe if you'd like to keep in touch and learn the goings on in my world. Hope your sliding into fall in the most fitting of fashions. In about a month it all comes to fruition and I'd just like to thank you if you're one of the many that have helped me this past year. Some of those that have helped I don't talk with anymore but the majority I keep extremely close and value you more then myself. PEACE! Much Love!
PwT
No comments:
Post a Comment