Little Trouble Girl

Grammy Hall and I had an awesome dinner tonight at Folklore a Argentine steakhouse in the Wicker Park Neighborhood.  Not very veggie friendly but if you have a craving for a damn good steak all organic cuts of meat and wicked good spinach mashed potatoes check it out.  Grammy hall and I split a meal there the portions are really generous and the cocktails are a little pricey but very good. I had a really yummy mango mojito.  We split (they were really nice about spliting the salad for us too): Churrasco 12 oz sirloin steak came with a salad A side of spinach mashed potatoes (sooooo…goood!) I had a mango mojito  and Grammy Hall had a Brazilian soda with tip ran us around 60.00 bucks and we were stuffed. 
Oct 7

Grammy Hall and I had an awesome dinner tonight at Folklore a Argentine steakhouse in the Wicker Park Neighborhood.  Not very veggie friendly but if you have a craving for a damn good steak all organic cuts of meat and wicked good spinach mashed potatoes check it out.  Grammy hall and I split a meal there the portions are really generous and the cocktails are a little pricey but very good. I had a really yummy mango mojito. 

We split (they were really nice about spliting the salad for us too):

Churrasco 12 oz sirloin steak came with a salad

A side of spinach mashed potatoes (sooooo…goood!)

I had a mango mojito 

and Grammy Hall had a Brazilian soda

with tip ran us around 60.00 bucks and we were stuffed. 


Oct 8

Dinner at Arami 

Had dinner with friends tonight at a great sushi spot in out neighborhood.  The prices are a little steep but well worth it for quality sushi in a city that is hundreds of miles away from the nearest ocean. 

Flavors are great, and the atmoshere is really pretty.

For drinks recommend the Nigata River cocktail (I had two) it’s Funaguchi Kikusui Sake, and slices of cucumber. 

Now because I’ve had food poisoning from sushi I sometimes get a little nervous about raw fish but I had the most amazing piece of sashimi. The “Sake Garlic- salmon with garlic and vinegar”.  

The “Kani sashimi- King crab on rice” and the “Unagi- fresh water eel on rice”  was really great.

All the rolls are great I think we may have tried almost all of them tonight. One that really stands out for me is the “Unagi Maguro- eel, light cream cheese, spicy tuna, sweet soy”.

Oct 8

Bleeding Heart Bakery For Desert

Where do I start. Everything is good. We tried the cake balls, dipped in chocolate, and covered in sprinkles or other various yummy things. 

Oct 10

Great show last night Christopher and I saw Wild Flag at the Empty Bottle Chicago. Yellow Fever opened for them. Great duo band from Austin, TX. 

Wild Flag from Portland, OR was awesome, they sounded better live than they do on their album.

Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony lead the band on guitars, and they are supported by Rebecca Cole and Janet Weiss on organ and drums. These ladies have all been making music for years and you could see their expertise on stage.  They all were really powerful, had great energy, chemistry as a group, and really cute without being pretentious.  As Christopher said we were probably to lucky to see them in a little venue like the Empty Bottle, cause the next time they make it to Chicago it will be on a much bigger stage. 

The lovely ladies who run barbara&barbara a cool little hair salon in Logan Square, Chicago had me paint a mural and do the outdoor sign for their business about a year ago. They recently asked me to make a logo for print adds and this is what I worked up for them.  Also if your in need a  of a cool haircut for really cheep (especially by Chicago standards) you should really pay them a visit. 
Oct 10

The lovely ladies who run barbara&barbara a cool little hair salon in Logan Square, Chicago had me paint a mural and do the outdoor sign for their business about a year ago. They recently asked me to make a logo for print adds and this is what I worked up for them. 

Also if your in need a  of a cool haircut for really cheep (especially by Chicago standards) you should really pay them a visit. 

I can’t wait to watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! I actually saw some little kids doing this out my window yesterday. I wonder how much longer Fall weather in Chicago will be this warm and sunny. NPR said the high today was going to be 71 degrees. 
Oct 11

I can’t wait to watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! I actually saw some little kids doing this out my window yesterday. I wonder how much longer Fall weather in Chicago will be this warm and sunny. NPR said the high today was going to be 71 degrees. 

Oct 11

Since were on the subject of Halloween. I love Halloween. Here are some of the most recent brighter moments.  Christopher and I are still trying to figure out this years costume idea. Sometimes there is just too much pressure. 

Halloweens in pictures happened in Athens Ohio and Chicago IL. 

Oct 15

Dinner and a movie with Beth. We ate at XOCO downtown Chicago. We actually didn’t have to wait in line, usually there is a line out the door at this place. They have very meat heavy menu. Pork seemed to be the places speciality so I tried the: Ahogada: Golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions. (Dine-in Only)   $10.00.  

It was quite good, casual atmosphere, they also serve beer and wine.   I only wish I would have had room for desert they had home made Churros and hot chocolate. 

Beth and I followed up dinner with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. It was part of the Chicago International Film Festival.  The film was synopis from the CIFF website: Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To (Triad Election) returns to the world of comedy with this achingly sweet tale. Charming Zixin finds herself in a love triangle with two men that are as handsome as they are different. To tells a heartfelt whimsical tale where neither time nor space can hold back love’s grand gestures, while revealing an amusing touch that might not be familiar to the fans of his action-packed films. It was a cute film, a little too long and really unrealistic story that had a lot of loose ends but worth a watch if you wanna watch something for a pure happy aftertaste. 
Oct 15

Beth and I followed up dinner with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. It was part of the Chicago International Film Festival.  The film was synopis from the CIFF website:

Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To (Triad Election) returns to the world of comedy with this achingly sweet tale. Charming Zixin finds herself in a love triangle with two men that are as handsome as they are different. To tells a heartfelt whimsical tale where neither time nor space can hold back love’s grand gestures, while revealing an amusing touch that might not be familiar to the fans of his action-packed films.

It was a cute film, a little too long and really unrealistic story that had a lot of loose ends but worth a watch if you wanna watch something for a pure happy aftertaste. 

Andy’s Music Chicago IL. These pretties got me excited for the Ukulele lessons I start at The Old Town School of Music next week. 
Oct 15

Andy’s Music Chicago IL.

These pretties got me excited for the Ukulele lessons I start at The Old Town School of Music next week. 

Oct 15

An art filled Saturday.

Mujeres Construidas a two women art show that consists of my friend Betty Heredia and Alex Velazquez opened today in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen. 

The space is in Casa Aztlan a community center that “seeks to sustain the strong cultural identity of the Pilsen community” through education and supportive services the organization attempts to “combat social violence, discrimination, and poverty”.  The space is a fantastic old school house building splashed with latino inspired murals and teeming with community pride. 

Betty and Alex’s work looked great in the space. The concepts that seem to fuel both their work are heavily influenced by cultural and female identity, this commonality gave the exhibit a nice unity.

I was really impressed with my Friend Betty Heredia’s story telling and her expertise in the materials she uses to fill her compositions.  Her ability to create exciting figure/ground reversal in her images is one of my favorite qualities of her work visually. It reminds me of one of my favorite artist’s Aubrey Beardsley’s work.

Narratives seem to be inspired from biographical experiences with family, friends and lovers. Her work’s subject matter leaves viewers with authentic expressions of humility, strength, sadness, and sometimes humor. 

Oct 16

Continuation of an art filled Saturday….

Christopher and I finished the night with another show my friend Betty Heredia was involved with at the Fulton Street Collective on Damen and Fulton Ave. in the Ukrainian Village/West Town neighborhood. The space offers a range of spaces to artists and also hosts nights of open studios, life drawing sessions, and gallery exhibits. 

It was an open studio so we wandered through the artist’s built walls that divided up studio spaces in the old factory building. There was live music entertainment and free wine that made the evening even more fun. The band The Environmental Encroachment band finished the night’s live entertainment with their usual lively chaotic but always in tune uproar of horns, drums and bunny ears. 

Oct 17

Frugal Shopping Spot. 

I noticed a few weeks ago a new vintage shop opening in our neighborhood. I finally made my way over to check it out. The shop is called Krispyfringe Vintage, located at 2130 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622.  Being a avid vintage shopper I was actually impressed when I walked in. No bad smells of mildew or dust, beautiful and interesting space, and friendly staff.  The space is really something special, worth the trip even if your not in the mood to shop. The mix of industrial materials, vintage prints, and mosaics of old records gives a aesthetic experience that is welcoming and fun. 

Areas of disappointment come with the organization of the store. The space is small so they have racks way up high out of reach. Also, an area of irritation came from the lack of steaming/ironing many of the garments exhibited. Personally to me vintage over thrift means more money on the consumers part. However the benefit should be more editing of quality pieces, and clean and presentable garments.  

I will be back, they had a nice inventory, small but a nice variety. The limited inventory will work if they keep it fresh and rotate it often.  I think their men’s section was one of the strongest in the hood. Men who love vintage fashion should definitely check the store out.  

The prices were reasonable. They had a really excellent selection of jackets and coats, if I had enough room in my closet I would have bought one. I did buy one piece when I was there. I picked up a 1970’s plaid wool skirt that is perfect for the cold Chicago fall and winters. Pictured above, which I picked up for 16.00 bucks. 

Oct 20

From a 1968 Mademoiselle magazine: amazing sweaters, wool skirts, scarves and hats! Modeling in front of Chicago Architecture. 

Via: Miss Dandy