Feb 2006, 153 entries

erikbenson posted a photo:

Crocodile Café @ 2200 2nd Ave

Erik Benson added an entry about commission a work of art:

Francesca sent me a preview of the piece which is almost done… and it looks beautiful. I love it! It looks like I may be able to name the piece as well as a few places on it. Yay! I’ve requested a slightly larger image to help with this, but I’ve already got a bunch of ideas.

The inspiration for this commission (on my end) is artificial cities and communities. I thought it fit well with Francesca’s style since this is essentially a map that has been cut up and reconstructed from other cities, oceans, and bays. In my silly story, Man Versus Himself (wikipedia) there is a city named Andom Bay that is basically a city owned and run by the protagonist (Anselm Betty)... and he also creates a city within the city named Little Anhedonia (wikipedia). I love artificial cities, and when talking about this commission Francesca and I sent links back and forth on my hometown of Irvine, Celebration, Florida, New Songdo, and Dubai’s crazy World Islands. One of the best things about these crazy communities is that they also employ very deliberate and altruistic/futuristic/naturalistic naming-schemes. I grew up on Songbird then moved to Falling Star and Springbrook, for example.

So, in the spirit of radical self improvement, I may inject a few philosophies into the landscape as well. In It To Win It Lake. Accept All Offers Drive. Going For Broke Hill. They may all be rejected though. I’ll have to Sleep On It Valley.

What do you all think?

erikbenson posted a photo:

I love it, is it not beautiful?

Rendezvous @ 2320 Second Avenue

erikbenson posted a photo:

erikbenson posted a photo:

erikbenson posted a photo:

erikbenson posted a photo:

Do you think that when we get old and our last spouse dies or goes crazy that we'll be lonely in old folks homes, begging volunteers to sit a bit longer with us, giving guilt trips to family members, scorning early love thrown away perhaps too hastily... or will we be on the internet all day writing posts and reading our friends page on barelyalivejournal.com? I don't think being old is ever going to be the same.

erikbenson posted a photo:

Henry Art Gallery @ NE 41st St

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Even though nothing exceptionally spectacular really happens to me, sometimes I am blown away by the weirdness of my life. There was a half hour period last night where I thought I had broken through the facade of the universe somehow and revealed the wacky machinery of themes, events, and meanings... as if it were all legos and lincoln logs. It was a good simple feeling, and I just had an overwhelming sense of how much fun living is. I was wandering away an hour waiting for Maggie to get home from work and thought I'd go pick up my coat that I had left at the Hideout the night before. But it wasn't there. I didn't much like that coat anyway and it was falling apart (at the seams). So, thought to go look for a new coat at Ian (a place that's too expensive for me, but always has something I like). Immediately saw the 75% off rack and a coat with a fur collar that reminded me of something Harold (of Maude) would wear (you can't really see it well from the picture above, but it's nice). And, since I was getting my hair colored old person gray the next day, I thought it would be fitting to incarnate a bit of Harold to balance it out. As you might know, old people are in my zeitgeist so anything that I want to do is more easily justified if I can tie it to something in my zeitgeist. And Harold-connections always help too. I was just listening to an Elliot Smith cover of Cat Steven's "Trouble" the other day.

Blue Bottle Gallery is right next door to Ian and I like it because it was the source of another zeitgeist element a while back, my "F is for Fox" painting. I look in the window and see, "I love Andy Warhol"... the name of a show opening tomorrow dedicated to Andy Warhol inspired art. And the guy who painted the fox painting (and who owns the gallery) will be one of the group show's artists. At the Suspicions show (which was awesome, by the way) I got to talk to two Andy/Edie fans that I rarely see (and who don't know each other).

This morning, dying my hair old person gray turned out to be closer to dying my hair Andy Warhol blonde. And this hair will also help me be all Rat Packy for Rick and LBJ's old fashioned wedding. Anyway. Now I'm exhausted... looking forward to the Lichtenstein (more pop art) opening at the Henry tonight but might utilize a nap first.

erikbenson posted a photo:

Erik Benson added an entry about dye my hair old person gray:

Not quite old man gray… but not for lack of trying. Total time clocked at Vain: 3.5 hours. My scalp stings! At first I was a bit disappointed about it, but maybe this is Andy Warhol blonde… or maybe it’s David Bowie white. The kicker is that they didn’t have enough time to get a haircut so off to Rudy’s I go (after I grab some lunch).

You know what they say though… hair: it grows on you.

erikbenson posted a photo:

erikbenson posted a photo:

Erik Benson added an entry about dye my hair old person gray:

Goodbye youthful brown hair! Update in a couple hours.