Go see Iron Man

We went to see it tonight and really enjoyed ourselves! A great comic film as a movie.
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Alley Stool, Side View


Alley Stool, Side View
Originally uploaded by minvervah
This thing was truly amazing, and had to be seen to be believed. We saw it after walking home from the Small Bar in North Logan Square last weekend.

First, allow me to point out that it is a coffee table made from a car tire.

Second, the legs of said table are covered in headlines from the National Enquirer. The sides were "bejeweled" with beer can tops, and the top had more National Enquirerer headlines on top of some kind of hard surface.

It was completely a sight to behold. However, we had no use for it, so we saved our alley karma for another day and hope someone else took this beauty home.

Heading Back....


100_0526
Originally uploaded by planetshwoop
Lastly, it looks like Shylo and I will be headed to London again this summer...

Two New Reds Come To Visit

In less than one week, two new red things entered my life. One old and red, one new and red.

After talking about it for three years, we finally bought a car today. Nicknamed "Pepper", it's a red Nissan Versa. I compromised on getting an automatic instead of a manual, but generally I'm pretty satisfied with the car.

Oddly we spent less time talking about discussing which car to get than we did convincing ourselves that we actually needed a car. Is it a luxury? Should we do without? Ultimately, since Shylo won't be going to an office any longer, it seemed to make more sense that she would have a car. Ergo, we have a car.

First sign that we hadn't purchased a car in forever? "Oh wow, you can have AM and FM stations on the same set of presets." Yep, no longer do we have to switch to AM and then change the station. So high tech!

(Truly high tech is that I don't have to put the key in the ignition. It has a Bluetooth starter, so if the key is in my pocket it starts just fine.)

And the other red? Jordan and I finally finished my 1970s Schwinn. It's delightful. I managed to bike to work three days this week and have been wearing a smile while pedaling all week. It still needs a handful of finishing touches -- a light, a rear rack, chainguard -- but it so wonderful I couldn't wait to ride!

The fact I'm gushing about the bike and not the car probably says a lot about me.

Podcast Vs Philosophy

I've always enjoyed thinking about philosophy. I found myself recently glibly quoting Hume and then the very next day was thinking about the relationships to corporations and power ala Foucault and his friendly Panopticon.

No matter how much I think about philosophy, I actually hate reading it. It seems like a good situation where 20 minutes spent reading an encyclopedia or the web will be much more useful than the hours spent slogging through something like 'Phenomenology of Spirit' or 'Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics'.

Much more fun (and 21st century) to just listen to a podcast about philosophy and get someone else's ideas of what it's all about. I found myself doing this about Kirkegaard earlier this week: I have zero interest in reading his books, but couldn't stop listening to the 30-odd minutes of discussion about it.

And that's probably for the best: doing dishes, contemplating paradox, words from a different century quickly filling my ears while I think about how to clean ketchup off a plate.

Neighborhood doll


Happy Barbie
Originally uploaded by planetshwoop
On the block where I took this picture, there is a Mexican clothing store, a bar, a Islamic women's clothing store (see attached), a Korean bakery, and a strip club. The currency exchange closed months ago, and they haven't moved the sign.

As weird as it often is, I like my neighborhood for it's strange texture, and serendipitous retail offerings. My affinity for spicy food is an asset here.

The Flickr lights up


Lamers Dairy
Originally uploaded by planetshwoop
I posted a few shots I took from wandering around the neighborhood today. These were especially strange: a bunch of milk crates collected around a basketball hoop. Given how freezing/miserable/dreary it was, the bright red boxes were a pleasant surprise.