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March 21, 2006

Pippy at the cinema ~ rated R for ratty ~ brief knitting content!

If you get a chance, and you are at all interested in garbage, farming, wasted stuff and where it goes, or oversized heart-shaped potatoes and why you don't see them in the grocery store, or gypsies who live in trailers, or why a French biologist with a beautiful secret life would eat thrown-away parsley after the market ends for the day in Paris, or dolls as architectural systems, or the work of French filmaker Agnès Varda (the only female director of the New Wave) I have a recommendation for you!
Get this DVD and you will be so glad you did. Its called The Gleaners and I or, in Frenchie, Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse -kind of like The Gleaners and the Gleaneress- as the filmaker likens filmaking unto gathering leftover or secondhand things and re-using or recombobulating them. The film is actually from 2000, but I am just coming across it now, which seems appropriate in some way.
(For me the film was also good for reviewing my Frenchie, as in a scene where little boys are picking discarded potatoes and singing a little song which describes their diet and goes through the days of the week. Translated into English the words go~ Monday, potatoes. Tuesday, potatoes. Wednesday, potatoes.. up until Sunday, potatoes again! And since I always forget Thursday-Jeudi- I appreciated the refresher.)
Oh, its beautiful! I've been thinking about it since I saw it on Sunday night, and remembering snippets periodically, like one does with a happy dream. And plus, it was part of the Rat Patrol film fest, who knew there were so many films about rats, garbage-picking, and freakbikes? Dudes, there are! And it was an interesting, edifying, and stimulating stew of an evening, with Rats of all shapes and sizes (and dare I say it, states of personal hygiene, egads! It keeps things interesting, I'm serious. So don't go taking it the wrong way, the smell added to the ambiance, really!) in attendance, Cannes never saw such a beautiful crowd! I mean it, man.
For gosh sakes, its not some MTV bulls***, as they say! No! Its very serious biz, this freakbikery, and fun even after someone, well, hits their head really hard on concrete, its true! As happened in the culminating feature of the evening's cinematic offerings, the long-awaited documentary -nay, docu-drama!- B.I.K.E., the trailer of which I think I posted before but can not locate at press time! If you can get ahold of that thing, its also a good time, if not entirely accurate in all of its facts, ahem. It makes mention of Chicago's own Rat Patrol and features commentary from one photogenic, charismatic Johnny Payphone, in his crusty splendor. And plus there's lotsa tall-bike jousting which is good for a laugh, or a cringe, as it were. And lotsa New York-ey types, and one kinda very sad but in a certain way lovable bumbler guy who one roots for in spite of his patheticality, some would say wastedness, in my case I think it had something to do with his resemblance to a soulful kind of abandoned hound-dawg of some sort. Tony. Poor guy. He brings it on himself and then he cries a lot. He makes god-awful student films. (Oh, the white face paint!) The Black Labels, hardest core of the hardcore, shun him! Repeatedly! And he comes back for more. And more. I'm not making this sound appealing, but it is, in a perverse way.
Plus, to redeem it all, there is one big bonus knitting scene, yes, the money shot! Brief but poignaint! As Tony's mom is interviewed, she arranges her work in her lap distractedly, some kind of longish piece that appears to be a scarf, attached to a fat double-pointed needle, and being made from extra-chunky something! She explains calmly how she knew from his childhood drawings that her son was troubled.
And there's the bikes, so I say thumbs up, if not way up. But that's just me.
Did you know its Bach's 321st birthday? It is. HBD, Bach!

But wait! There's more! (now how much would you pay??) This just in~more about B.I.K.E. the movie, and those wacky freakbikers. Just fyi. For your pleasure. Just in case.

Posted by pippypippy at 11:40 AM | Comments (1)

March 17, 2006

This vehicle powered by pancakes.

In yesterday's semi-blizzard, maybe you saw it? A curious bike parade of 2, Travesty, towing the Ghetto Trailer™ behind my mountain bike, and me on a Raleigh road bike! It took some doing to drag me out into what quite possibly may have been the last sno-ride of the season, because it looked like a blizzard! It actually was fun and pretty, while it lasted, which turned out to be not that long. But it was coming down, white and heavy, just in time for me to have to leave for the first night of the Build Your Own Bike Workshop at West Town Bikes! Which I had to get to lest I be left behind in the dust (and grease!). In any event, I was conflicted, but the promise of a pancake stop at Augie's on the way helped me get it into gear.
Once out of the garage, the snowflakes, clinging, as the song goes, on my nose and eye-lashes, it was a short but fun ride to Andersonville, where we shook ourselves off in the snug of Augie's diner. As soon as we were done eating the snow had stopped. It was almost disappointing!
We did some garbage picking as we took a roundabout way to West Town, though didn't come up with anything good, but one has got to check because you never know. We also saw a very nice bunny in someone's backyard, which wiggled its nose and stared.
So now I am very enthused about this class! Last night, with the aid of intrepid and bike-savvy instructors Sarah and Sam, the Raleigh was mostly disassembled, its removable parts- with the exception of the fork- currently are housed in a white bucket, frame and wheels on storage hooks. I have a feeling this was the easy part, although I know I will be pleased when I get that sucka back together again. Gosh it makes me feel so macho using a wrench. What is that?? I like it.
Bikes have parts in parts in parts in parts. Did you know it?? And if you take 'em apart, you gotta remember where they came from, not necessarily an activity suited to the space-cadet, but I am learning to keep my stuff together, believe it.
Marcel thinks that St. Paddy's day has something to do with having paws.

Posted by pippypippy at 01:35 PM | Comments (1)

March 15, 2006

Marcel doesn't need Oprah to tell him what to read.

He loves the Lilliputians.

Posted by pippypippy at 05:54 PM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2006

A Perfect Day For Banana Seats

What a day! What a day it was!
The crocuses are up in Joan's garden. Oh! Little green friends, don't be fooled! For this is Chicago, you know! You will be smited and snowed upon! Believe it. But for today, it was summer. Just in the nick of time for St. Patrick's (or St. Ratrick's, depending on your affiliations) Day. The only visible green I wore were handwarmers, and was forced to shed them due to the sweat factor! By the time I had ridden half a mile or so to Marcel's house from the train I had shed a scarf, sweater, and jacket. Plus one more t-shirt layer before Marcel and I went to the park.
Ah yes, did you get out and feel the sun on your face!? I felt it along with the sheer unbridled joy of riding under fewer layers, a lightness and speed- could it be increased aerodynamics? -moving me along, the air not at all painful.
Marcel and I went to the park, where we saw our young friends, human children Ashley and Daniel, aged approximately 9 and 11, whom we haven't glimpsed for many long cold months! Cavorting in their natural habitat, the playground! Ashley scrambled over the fence to meet us, and give Marcel some pats and kisses.
We then observed the spectrum of the North Side of Chicago in its leisure-time splendor~ a man playing guitar on the grass, tennis matches in progress, enough strollers that if you stacked the toddlers end to end they would stretch to at least Jupiter and back, a group of young Indian men playing cricket, runners, walkers, bikers, and of course dogs of all sizes, shapes, and configurations. Marcel and I sat on the bench, he in my lap, and watched the goings-on for some time. It is our favorite way to be in the park -lazy. Frisbee players we are not! Several big waggly dogs came up and greeted Marcel, who didn't even get up, but only sniffed at the air and pulled his head back so as not to get dog germs. Not that he's a snob or anything. He's just more of a people person. Its true! I don't know how it happened.

In any event, a thousand apologies, dear Readers, for my lazy-ass non-blogging! And visually dull, I know it! Oh if I had a camera the things I could show and tell about!

Here is a partial list~

• Three new paintings, bringing the total of un-photographed eye-candy to eight. Dudes, you want to see them. Someday. Someday.

• The progress I have made on seaming Agnes, The Sweater Only A Mother Could Love. Remember Agnes?? She's almost done. In time for spring, a wooly combination of Noro Kureyon, Manos, and Brown Sheep worsted I started in fall, with January in mind. Well there's next year.

• The really groovy new/old red shoes I scored at The Brown Elephant on North Ave. along with the super nice, spankin' new waterproof and very warm and also red mittens Travesty found at the Salvation Army (just in time for Instant Summer- but I bet I'll still get to use 'em).

• Marcel rejecting the new healthy-treat alternative, the canned no-salt green bean. I think I saw it in Dog Fancy (hey, Marcel's kinda fancy~ plus I only read it at the library!). It seemed like a good idea at the time but Marcel's no dummy. After he dropped it from his mouth like a hot potato, and looked askance at the unspeakable foulness, I picked it up and put it in his bowl. Sometimes in the context of the bowl, even vegetables can become food. From his bowl, he deigned to pick it up delicately and move it into the bed for safe keeping. Weirdo.

Oh, and I would take hundreds of bike riding pictures! You know it.
Speaking of pictures, for some good ones, go see David, being very silly.

Posted by pippypippy at 09:58 PM | Comments (1)

March 06, 2006

Ooh! Pretty pretty pretty!!!

Go look at the wonderful eye candy! A new e-acquaintance (also a wonderful artist/illustrator) tipped me off to the website of illustrator Yuko Shimizu oh, do go there! She is wildly prolific, incredibly talented, and makes me feel like a shlub! You have to go there.

As for me, I have been in a painting frenzy, and have finished 5 paintings and have 4 in progress. With no camera, of course, I totally suck and can only tease you all. Trust me, you wanna see 'em!!
Oh, one of these days, really!!
I been knitting too, and finished the Skull Socks of Fury.
There is also the Super Secret Bikey Project which is grooving along! It began with an old mountain bike frame, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but I am finding out the hard way bike building is not for the meek, or the unprepared! Luckily I gotta intrepid bike helper! Thus, it has a new/old fork, handlebars, and pedals, lovingly picked out of the wilds of the Working Bikes warehouse (oh, do go there, if you are at all bikey-inclined, its mind-boggling!-the photo I've linked to only shows a very small tip of the iceberg! Its immense! Its a wild bicycle jungle!) by Travesty and me!
Mostly Travesty because he knows about these things! And is nice! Believe it! It also has a rather nice smallish front wheel, also courtesy of Mr. atd. So its unclear what the finished project is going to look like, but its entirely possible that metallic candy-apple red (or the brightest fire engine you've ever seen!) spray paint will be involved, as well as handlebar streamers. Oh, a girl can dream, dream, dream..

Posted by pippypippy at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)

March 03, 2006

Pippy! Where you at??

Sure, I don't see you for days and then you show up and brush my teeth.

The thing is, the boy has some serious tartar. And plus he likes to eat the chicken flavored toothpaste. So you don't have to feel too sorry for him! Anyway, we got his canines pretty good. Afterwards he rewarded himself with a cookie he pulled from his very own secret stash. (And his doggy-breath! Mmmmm, chickeny-fresh!) Oh, he's clever! And spoiled! Believe it!
Just in time for St. Patty's we thought we'd post a picture of Marcel's favorite green sleeping bag.
Speaking of green, today in the garden behind the Big Dawg's house we saw itty-bitty teeny-tiny green plants!!! Poking up out of the flower bed! Can it be true?? Can it be ever so nearly springtime?! Its still hard to imagine it.

Posted by pippypippy at 06:55 PM | Comments (1)