Hemingway is a Downer

I was introduced to Ernest Hemingway's short stories in an undergrad creative writing course. If you take any contemporary writing or literature class, Hemingway is inescapable. I was instantly drawn to the elemental story telling, how you could express so much about a character or event with such simple sentences. When I transitioned into his novels, I basically stopped with the first text I read. It was A Farewell to Arms, which had the Hemingway style I connected with, but the content--particularly the ending--was so bleak and depressing that I haven't read anything by him since.

Is it possible to separate style from content? If you love one, but hate the other, can you ever appreciate the work as whole?

Images from The Hemingway Museum

Oak Park Conservatory

It's always nice to find an interesting spot to visit that's right where you live. It's even nicer when that spot is free. We visited the Oak Park Conservatory this weekend and it was really amazing to see greenhouse spaces divided into different environments for different greenery. Each room even had its own temperature, so within a few steps you could go from a humid environment to a cool, breathable space. And there was a coi pond.

Black & White

I don't know what it is about simplicity that people respond so well to. When it comes to my artwork, some of the most positive responses I have received has been to work that was minimal in composition. Years ago I painted a black and white diptych that I kept going back into because it just seemed too simplistic. It was actually inspired by imagery from Sin City, the movie, but more so the artwork of Frank Miller. I wanted to explore the invasion of twisted white forms into a black background, then reverse the process. I've always found the diptych interesting, but not work I expected to continue to garner praise.

 

Temporality of Culture

We just read Jonathan Lear's Radical Hope for my Social Theory class. It deals with the temporary nature of culture and how everything that we've known and relied on to guide our lives can suddenly change. Lear examines how the Crow Nation was forever impacted by the loss of the buffalo, followed by a forced confinement to an Indian reservation. Surprisingly, Lear's work deals with the perseverance of the Crow people and how they were able to prepare themselves for an unknowable future. By recognizing that their way of life was coming to an end, they were able to protect aspects of their culture that could be passed down to later generations.

Riding Express

I had lived in the southwest almost my entire life. In places like Texas & Arizona, you avoid public transportation at all costs as there is often a stigma attached to people who make use of this otherwise affordable service. You need a car to get around.

That being said, riding the L every week provides me with a wealth of entertainment. I've already discussed a social element of the L in an earlier blog, now I wanted to mention the act of transportation itself.

Coming back from the city on Friday, I got the chance to ride express. I ride the Green Line, which does not offer this service on a regular basis, so it was a thrillingly childlike experience. First of all, you travel fast during an express run. The swerves are somewhat jolting, so you can really feel the movement of the train. Secondly, without as many stops, you just get their faster. A 25 minute ride becomes maybe an 18 minute ride. Which may not seem like a whole lot, but it almost feels like they're going faster just for you. Because you're important and you need to get home and make those 7 minutes really count.  

Blackstone Bicycle Works

Check out this article about a bicycle repair shop in Chicago that offers bikes to kids on the south side. It's like an after school program where kids can learn how to build & repair bikes. After 20 hours of work, they select a bike for repair that they can keep. After 25 hours, they get to take the bike home with them.

Click link to view article

Inner-City Tin Man?

Can anyone explain this...