I was driving to a Baha’i event on Saturday, and my sister was in the car with me. As we rocked out to some Phoenix, a nicely formed little spider dropped down from my visor, right in front of my eyes.
Now, I’m not really afraid of spiders, but when you’re confronted with an insect in your face that is flailing around on a web, there is little choice but to freak out. I managed to smack it down with my hand, and it ran away. Not an exciting story, it is just a side note. Spiders are no fun in the car.
Anyway, earlier that morning, Phoenix was on Sound Opinions (you can listen to the broadcast here). This band is all over the place these days. I was lucky enough to go to their show in Chicago in September and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the crowd of Midwestern hipsters.
I am still here.
In silence with the water forming lakes around my boots,
with the golden red leaves forming islands around my feet.
I am…in a few places at once.
With tall buildings, cold people, fascinating streets
(that dream is farther away now, diminishing every week).
In warm sunshine where we bowed our heads
always, always among the cool stone and cypress trees
(I will never leave)
Among these people, this place, my home, the familiar roads
at first, breathless, dormant, unmoving
and now,
and now…
this is where I should be.
A few weeks ago, my friend Melissa Diep asked a few other ladies and myself to be models for a “Trash the Dress” photoshoot with about 20 photographers. First we went to a location under the railroad tracks in downtown Chicago. It is hard to tell in this picture, but I was clambering up onto concrete, walking barefoot on railroad tracks, and dragging the poor dress all over some very dirty ground.
(photo by Ny Brown)
After a few hours of shooting, it started to rain, so we drove up to Foster Beach to get some shots in and near Lake Michigan. I was the first one in the water.
That’s right, I went into the lake. With a wedding dress on. In September.
I had a great time, the other models and the photographers were really fun to work with. I also learned a lot about photography, since the photographers were giving each other advice and directing the models.
