zapped.

so it's theoretically getting warmer out, the only way chicago's weather knows how to of course, three days warm, one week freezing. the anticipation of classic chicago summer nights (heat and humidity and the whole shebang-a-bang) is starting to drive everyone, my self included, just a bit bananas. i'm a born and raised chicagoan to the bone (east roger's park stand up!!), but this weather still kicks my ass just as much as it does all of the transplants in this city. in my personal forecast i see a shitload of bbqs, road trips, some extra phenomenal art shows, an immense amount of stoop and/or park chilling. and of course, the beach. (despite the e-coli outbreak at certain beaches...iguess the real question is, how the hell does that work? it's all the same lake, everyone's dropping mercury and diapers and shit into the same body of water, so what makes some of the beaches okay to open versus others?? especially when you think about the fact that the beaches closer to downtown open first, where every yuppy, parent, puppy, diaper shitting, lake polluting whatever has stepped foot and/or peed in. i do not exclude myself from that list, though i'm none of the above, for the most part) eh, i guess only mildly gross.

and upon daydreaming about the upcoming season, and how i'd like for my summer to ideally go, i began to do what i do best. make ridiculous lists for things, i.e., places i'd like to travel to this year, things i'd like to try out, new endeavours i'd like to experience and experiment with. of course what started as a fully constructed process got incredibly over-powered by my no longer medicated a.d.d., and what started as a series of lists inevitably turned into a bunch of weird, jumbled charts and shit in my sketch book. this weather drives home the fact that there is so much stimulai right now, in this semi-warm transitional period, and far to much frusturation to do anything about it without a minor, yet standard flip out, first.

what i've been able to extract as being the most important bases to cover thus far are expanding my art career (or what i like to call, the never ending story of stepping my game up) by way of two new art collectives, one of which already exists (thank you Upset magazine for being the shit and the some), and another which is a major work in progress, which will also be the shit and then some. and then there's traveling. an absolute must for summer 2009. perhaps it's the pisces in me that needs to explore, or the fact that i work two jobs pulling 6 days a week, aside from being a painter/illustrator/designer/blah blah blah, and baby girl just NEEDS to do some heavy veggin' every so many months.(productivity is key, right?) regardless of whatever the case may be, this is the summer of road trips and seeing the coasts and exploring the south! viva the ocean! (especially the atlantic, because i've never been) viva surf towns and fresh seafood! viva waterfront skate parks and flea markets. fuck a lake front effect. i'm ready for fresh, oceanic waves. i'm ready for sunlight and cocoa butter and my afro to be huge and sun-bleached (that's right, i said it).