New digs

Hello all! I skipped many, many updates.

I moved away from the ‘burbs to the big city. I’m opening a new chapter of my life. I would say that it’s a weird feeling living by myself, but it’s not too different since I’ve been away from family for a while already. The decision to leave has been in the back of my mind for a couple of months since I moved to Illinois officially a year ago, but it feels surprisingly abrupt since all this became solid at the spur of the moment, which is much like how I choose to do anything anyways, so… Go with that gut feeling, right? Fourth time’s a charm. Or is it fifth?

I’ve been here for nearly two weeks. Jose, my father’s shih tzu, has been here nearly a week. I’m still digging through boxes. It feels like I have been tossing boxes into the recycle bin for forever, and yet there’s still more to retrieve. Lessons are best learned the hard way, eh? Must learn how to live with less.

My father stopped by today to drop off some of my things. He brought a few prints from my old sketchbooks from 8th grade or 9th grade (I can’t remember) that he blew up when we worked in Florida. I remember being embarrassed when he wanted to make them into poster prints to sell at the galleria. Now I think it’s so sweet to see what inspired me back in the day. Goes to show that my parents will find something, anything to be proud of even when their child was the biggest weaboo on Staten Island.  Ahh, it’s still so embarrassing to look at though.

10 – journal doodle 2014

I drew this probably a few days before I put down my application fees for the apartment. Talk about foreshadowing. I took the train to my first board game meet a couple of days after settling in while wearing the same outfit sans backpack.

11 – journal doodle

There’s a quirky little coffee shop down the street in my neighborhood that I fell in love with. I often go with Diane, sometimes Tito and Tara,  to enjoy a large cup of Mexican hot chocolate and pie of the day a la mode. We’ve been going well before I became their friendly “Hey, what’s for dinner? Let me invite myself over” neighbor. When you go, try, try, try the pie. When you’re at Diane’s, try, try, try the sausage and brussel sprout stir fry.

Well, Diane and I went the other day to blow off some steam. I haven’t drawn anything since the move due to kicking and throwing boxes to and fro from the third floor, so I drew her while we talked shop and pulled oracle cards.  As we were doing so, two older men were performing some sort of gypsy-esque music. A goal of mine, while I’m here, is to have a collection of my drawings displayed on the walls of the shop, to join the rotation of artists that I’ve admired during our visits. I feel like I’m in the right place to do this, and I’m so very in love with my new home. What a perk.

By the way, let’s listen to some music together. Might as well plug the playlist that I carried with me since my pseudo-pilgrimage to Oregon in January:

More Journaling today

Hello everyone.

I did a bit of traveling for a while. Chicago is beautiful city. I love walking around imagining how life would be like if I lived in certain apartments. My imagination is running wild here, especially since the weather has been improving. I mean, it only snowed a little since the end of March. My dream apartment would have vines growing on it. A balcony would be nice too.

4 – journal doodle 2014

I’ve been browsing Anthropologie lately. I feel like all these quirky women shop there. These women probably wear stone jewelry and possibly have dietary restrictions that they would love to share with you. I don’t know where I’m going with this, but these are the women I imagine apparently — Women that earn enough to be as picky as they please. One day I’ll splurge and buy a dress and a few housewares from there. One fine day … whilst shopping in Chelsea Market perhaps.

5 – journal doodle 2014

Does anyone else write in cursive still? When I don’t know what to write in my journal, I repetitively practice the alphabet in cursive. I think of descriptive words and write them down, or I scribble out a few versions of my signature. None of those efforts are shown above, but I was just wondering if you do it too. A few of my favorite words I like to practice with are the names of theaters: Troubadour, Orpheum, Biograph, Riviera, Aragon, Imperial, Marquis, etc. If I remember, I’ll post some up in the next time.

6 – journal doodle 2014

Lately, I’ve been wearing one of my dad’s button up shirts that he left in the room I’m staying in. He doesn’t mind. I like the striped pattern. It’s probably my favorite lounging shirt right now. I should wash it though… it’s beginning to reek.

Saw this at Foursided.

Have you visited Foursided? It’s a wonderful store for those that like the accessories and home decor sections of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie (amongst other stores). The stationary sets are way too cute. There is a wooden postcard set in particular that I almost bought, but I decided against it last minute. I don’t write and mail people letters and things as often as I did in the past, so… I window shopped and made a mental wish list for the future.

And, if you already guessed the theme of this grable, I’m still saving up. No new sunglasses yet. I know, I know. They’re cheap at such and such.

Pre-St. Patty’s in Chicago

Every year for St. Patrick’s day, the river in Chicago is dyed green. Took a pic while passing by.

St. Patrick’s is a big deal around here. Crowds are everywhere. Today I’m going to the Art Institute. Let’s see how that goes.

– KmA

Chicago Trip

I took the train to Chicago on Monday with this nifty thing from the stationary area in Mitsuwa. I spent most of the day in the city walking around, dodging into eateries and bookstores to check my phone for directions. This was technically my first time navigating in Chicago by myself, and I didn’t have a definite time frame in mind, so I wandered around until I found something interesting. When I got lost trying to find a restaurant for lunch, I found a very promising store, Blick’s Art Materials. Very awesome. Made me feel nostalgic about Art Supply Warehouse.

Blick’s is two floors with a vast selection of adhesives and, well, art supplies. They carried Tombow pens, so now I know where to get some new ones. After an hour or so browsing around, I wound up buying a small Julius Caesar bust in addition to a new bamboo pen, brown ink,  india ink, and a matchstick pack of Conté crayons.

Julius Caesar bust from Blick’s on State St.

I also spent time with my cousins in Andersonville for a few days due to snowstorm and great company. Svea Restaurant has delicious Swedish meatballs. So good. Will go again. Also, did you know that the Swedish invented the cottage? The local museum is a great place to bring kids.

Moments before I left for Chicagoland, I sketched the bust for the first time since I purchased him. This will be the first of many sketches of this little guy.

Caesar bust sketch 2013

There are so many people in the city. It was refreshing and exciting to be walking around outside the suburbs.

-KmA

Trip to Andersonville

I spent a little time in Andersonville, IL this past weekend with my cousins. Very lovely, very Swedish place. If you’re ever in the area, check out Icosium Kafé. It’s a North African creperie that isn’t too expensive. Pretty decor with silver mirrors and pineapples. I had the salmon and goat cheese crepe because of meat, which is totally a valid reason. It’s very vegetarian friendly. Algerian coffee is good and muddy-licious, but it’s not my thing. Instead, I ordered the organic apple juice. Loved it.

Other than that…

Sometimes there are puppet shows on a bike with tiny disco ball included. Charming and surprising to see that while walking at night. It’s cold, man. Thank you for adding some happiness to that night. Can’t help but think you were naked in there, but I loved the show anyway. Puppet Bike: Tip generously.

Also, I tried out Dr. Sketchy’s  in Chicago, about 22 minutes drive from Andersonville. It was my first time going to a Dr. Sketchy event. Surprised to see more costumes than nakedness, but there was enough nudity to study from. Sparkly cod pieces and gleaming nipple tassels by the butt-load. The gathering was small and intimate, and there were group activities and networking. Best drawing gets picked out by the models at the end of the 3 hour session with art book prizes in store. April 14th is the next event — Comic Stripper. A fitting name for burlesque-type activity. Bring business cards.

Sketch of the model with black prismacolor on construction paper by KM Aquino©

 

Foursided. Just go there. Seriously, it’s right there. There’s always something interesting to look at.

For the feminist ladies, men, and children: Women & Children First. Features lots of local and indie artists. Grabbed some great books about freelancing and developing characters for stories.

Swedish Bakery. Okay, so the traditional cannoli may have or may not have gave me a bug in terms of going bathroom every 2 hours, but the cookies are good and don’t cause any pain, so stick with the cookies. I haven’t tried the cakes or tarts, so be wary (and let me know!). Perpetually smells like gingerbread in there.

Located at the end of an alley, Alleycat Comics is a nicely set up comic book store. Small, but there are good finds in there if you’re willing to look. Check out the bulletin board for local movie events.

Need a custom t-shirt? T-shirt Deli provides made to order shirts and wraps them up in butcher’s paper with twine. You can even buy potato chips as a side. Sales rack is called “Day Old Bread.” Puppet Bike is parked right outside.

Lastly, if you’re a Walking Dead fan, Fat Cat Bar holds viewing parties in the back room at 8 PM. Get there early for good seating. Every french fry is the crunchy fry at the bottom of the box. Cozy atmosphere. Feels like going to a college club. The Thanksgiving sandwich is delicious and the waitresses wear thick framed glasses and cat eyeliner. Expect to spend about $25-$29 between two people if you order a soda and dinner each.

Well, this seemed more like a recommendation post, but I really enjoyed my visit. There are still a lot of shops I need to visit. Tons of artsy folk there. Lots of beards, slouchy hats, and Wayfayers. Boutiques galore. This could be a town related to Portland, Oregon in terms of feeling, but not in forestry. More dogs than bicyclists.

I’m sure I’ll be back there sometime soon. Great for people watching, so get those binoculars and creeper cams out.

– KmA