My Sequential Artists workshop

From March 5th to 9th I went down to Gainesville, FL to continue my comics eduction with John Porcellino and Tom Hart.  If I came back with anything valuable its my discovery of "Zines."

Kola Boof at Emory University: A BAP in Decatur

Sometimes in life you gotta dive in head first, and that's what I did when I learned Kola Boof was returning to give a lecture in Decatur, GA while I was temporarily unemployed. Gathering my savings, I booked a hotel and took a train down to Decatur.

I had arrived to my hotel a little early and had no room ready so I decided to walk around downtown to kill some time. As I took in the scenery, I could't help but think of B*A*P*S, a bizarre movie starring Halle Berry whose character lived in in the city. I try not to let this kind of thinking happen, but I have to admit B*A*P*S may have influenced my preconceptions. Nonetheless I was impressed by what I saw:

I wasn't sure whether the city made an overhaul since the film's 1997 release, or if Robert Townsend, the director and writer, just did a good job making the place look like shit.

Edit: Robert Townsend did not write the movie. Troy Beyer Bailey was the screenwriter.

Skydeck Follies (Part Two)

     When I arrived to the top of Sears Tower Skydeck, an elementary school class was in the middle of their field trip. I can surely say children are fearless when it comes to dangerous situations.Their excitement with the surroundings had them literally running in all directions, even mowing down someone's toddling baby in the process. Even the adults had to watch for any children running up behind them. I had to wait a while until the glass casings where cleared of children. When I finally had a chance to step out on the glass casing I began to look down. 

     Maybe is was too many viewings of "Engineering Disasters" on the History Channel. Or that teenage girl who stomped on the glass casing earlier as a joke ( yeah, real funny). Or perhaps I'm just at that age where your amigdala finally matures and tells you what can get you killed. All I know is, I wasn't convinced all that thick plexiglass and steel bolting could hold my weight (even with my backpack removed.) This survival instinct didn't keep me from doing what I initially wanted to do, so here's the pic:

A better compromise

     Now remember that old science fact from middle school that heat rises? well, it reminds you with a vengeance. I don't know how the photographer and gift shop workers put up with it. The only reason anyone wants to return below is the cooler temperatures. I think it's the greenhouse effect that the sun and windows have on the place, considering that according to the tour video, the atmosphere at that height is much colder than at ground level. Anyway, once I began to sweat, I knew it was time to go.

Hidden Pleasures of B&Bs

House of Two Urns, Chicago

     I never thought about the profound distinction of  Bed & Breakfasts from hotels/inns until I stayed in one for the first time. When given the chance, the first thing a person wants to do after a long trip is sleep. Whenever I'm in a hotel, I question the purpose of the "Do Not disturb" door hangers they give you. I swear some housekeepers ignore them and barge in anyway. If not, they'll still wake you up with a loud rap on the door and the familiar call "Housekeeping!" If the housekeepers' runs are limited to certain days of the week,  you're obligated to leave your room. Otherwise you'll never get any fresh towels or clean drinking glasses for two days.  The Bed and breakfast provides you with enough toiletries to last you until their housekeeping day. 

     If you're staying for a week or longer, you need a place that feels like a temporary apartment. Hotels beyond three days can get really expensive, and God forbid if it doesn't have a mini fridge. 

     Sometimes you just need a place to stay, and the rest is under your control. That what is good about bed and breakfasts: they respect that mentality. 

SkyDeck Follies (Part One)

My writing residency in Wicker Park is officially at its end and I needed to kill 3 hours before I go on my train out of chicago, which I did by catching up on an old self-promise: visiting the top of the Sears Willis Tower. My first trip to chicago with my mother was just a little too close after September 11, so mother was dead set against me going to the top of any high rise. 

Best view , 2001

However, this was 2011 now and Mom was not longer there to stop me.

     I should point out, that the sears tower was not my first visit to the top of a high-rise. Some time in 05, I did join the ranks of the empire state building, so I noticed a similar routine when other tourists and I had to journey to the top. The first stage involves rounding us up like cattle. The employees ask how many are in each respective group, in order to determine where to cut off the line. You find yourself waiting for a while because only so may people can fit in their cargo-sized elevator. Once you get onto the first elevator (yes, the first),  it flies up so many floors ( from 3 to 99) you feel like you're on the world's cheapest amusement park ride. Have chewing gum on you. Once your off that, your roped in again like groupies as you watch the elevator let off the next set of exiting visitors before your group can board.  By the time you're wondering how many more elevators you have to take, an employee is there to welcome you to the top. 

     More times that not, the view is similar to what the "traffic cam" on your local news sees, but through your own eyes. It was the early afternoon, so the skyline had an orange tinge to it. 

Leave it to my 11 year old camera to filter it blue.

     Because the sun was on it's way to setting, the clearest part of the skyline was overlooking the lake shore. As an east coaster, I was so used to the vastness of the ocean, so I found it hard to grasp the concept of any lake as "great". When seeing lake Michigan out on the east side of the building, and no end to the coastlines at either direction, I began to understand what gave these lakes their collective name.

Bubble Boy sees the World

There's all kinds of ignorance, but there's something special about hte
kind that comes from someone who's traveled around the world yet never at
any time steps outside his perspective. I met a kid like that in my social
service class Community College. He bragged about being a Witness to the
Tianemen Square Massacre as a child in 1989, but when we had to work in
soup kitchens for an assignment, we discovered his weakness. Despite his
travels, the boy had never set foot inside a basic soup kitchen, serving or
mingling with the misfortunate ( or "unhoused" as the teacher called them
@_@.)As time went on, we also learned that he was unaware of any domestic
incidents, such as the first WTC bombing, the waco massacare or the
oklahoma city bombing ( the latter having its anniversary at the time). I'm
not sure if that ever taught him any humility, but it taught me something about experience.

I am reminded of him again in my new College as I encounter other young
travelers with more international miles but not as much sense regarding the
country of their birth. Every time I express with amazement at the new
experiences that I have in other states, the kid next to me ( who's used to
the area) looks at me like I'm sheltered. In reality if they experienced
the culture I'm used to they would react the same way. the point these kids
miss is that there is so much diversity in this nation that one can have a
different cultural experience by visiting a part of the US that's several
miles from their own.
Its not an excuse to avaiod traveling abroad, but why is it the only option
for having a new cultural experience?