(Warning - long post ahead!)
Recently, I've been asked by a young person, very dear to my heart, to write down some memories of things I did in my youth and young adulthood, that impressed upon my life, making me, me.
A huge question right? Hell yeah! It really has gotten me into thinking, well, what DID I do? For starters…my reaction has been somewhat delayed, but WOW! I take it as a HUGE compliment dear "N". So, here it goes…while I don't expect you or anyone else to go out and do these things and process them the way I did, the emphasis here is to always be "Eyes Wide Open" and look inside to see what motivates you. I will be the first to say, my road to "here" was an ever meandering one, at times dark and cloudy, but at others, so amazingly bright! I also don't take 100% credit, as I had no idea at times where I was going. It was the kindness of others who saw the potential in me and opened certain doors to nudge me through. So, in no particular order….
1) Learn to filter out the good friends and the bad. Maybe because I'm a twin, it was easier for me to see early on in life what the good friends did for us vs. the bad ones. This isn't to say that my twin had only bad friends, but it was pretty clear, who the few individuals were that influenced in such a way. There was a brief moment in middle school years, where I could have easily shifted my "groupie" towards this kind of influence, but I found my inner voice nagging me saying "Hello, do you REALLY like these people?" So, I listened. We all know who those certain people are in our lives, where from the moment we meet them, you've found your soul sista or brotha. The right friends will bring out the best qualities in you and will own the digits on your hands for life. Like you said "N", it's all about quality not quantity.
2) Pick your passion
In high school, I discovered that I had a deep passion for 2 things: humanities and service. I was "President" of the Service Club my senior year (not to mention Vice-President of my class during junior year). We would do various things on a volunteer basis for the school or for non-profit organizations. It was an early lesson in life that checking your own ego at the door was a good thing. Far too often, we get wrapped up in our little egotistic heads and forget that there will always be others that have many more hardships in life than yourself. Humanities on the other hand, gave me opportunities to experience "life" through the eyes of real people (even dead, they can be so impressive!). A list of certain novels that made me think, cry or drift off were: Edith Wharton's beautiful heart-breaking novel "Ethan Frome", Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" (movie was awesome too), Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities", Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" (can you see a pattern here, I'm a sucker for good tortured romance or the human potential factor), John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", Judith Guest's "Ordinary People" and lastly Shakespear's "King Lear" (I re-enacted this with high school buddy Aileen and I got to play 2 parts — King Lear and one of the 3 witches where I divided half of me as the King and the other half as the witch, tough but fun!). There were lots of other reads, but for some reason, these stick out in my mind as memorable. Perhaps it was also in the way a certain teacher embraced the emotional tilt of a novel, or an old photo that showed a skeletal child laborer during the Victorian era that startled me. Whatever it was, I got sucked into a world beyond "just me".
Since, it was due to certain books that lead me out of the "neighborhood", to find more for papers and research assignments, I found these places to be profound.
• Harold Washington Library Built in 1991, is an amazing library, with performance space and incredible views. Previously though, the main Chicago branch was inside of the
Chicago Cultural Center. This is one of my most favorite buildings in downtown Chicago! It is itself a masterpiece architecturally. Look up and you'll find the gorgeous Healy and Millet stained glass dome in the Grand Army of the Republic Rotunda, the Grand Staircase and Preston Bradely Hall, and most certainly, you will see galleries presenting well-known or up and coming artists in Chicago. I loved going here when it was the library - so I was a little sad when it got moved, but I am ever so thankful I did experience the magic of this place as it was offered up to me.
• Newberry LibraryAnother gem in downtown - while you can't check anything out, and it is a very white-glove kind of a place, you can get a glimpse at amazing collections, maps, illuminated manuscripts (OMG. did I love that!) It is a serious place for scholars, teachers and archivists…but the sense of humanity here is DEEP! Beautiful within too!
• Loyola University Chicago - Lakeshore campus - Cudahy Library (my alma mater).
The main study room here is breathtaking. To walk within, and see people like you in deep concentration - well, it makes you want to learn! You really get the sense of self motivation and education. While, I ended up branching off to the fine art studio for eventual study sessions, (since I spent so much time there, and it was quieter), this library held great memories for me.
Also on Loyola's Lake Shore campus….
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The Martin D'Arcy Gallery (I got my fix of illuminated manuscripts and medieval period art pieces). Tiny museum, but incredible collection! It looks like it has now moved to Michigan Avenue though.
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Campus Grounds = the ultimate college experience. While, it wasn't very big, Loyola offered up just the right amount of university nostalgia, and I loved walking through campus, glancing eastward to the view of the lake, entering charming old brick buildings, and even becoming the target of an aggressive hungry squirrel (never will I tease a squirrel again!)
My foodie beginnings….
Noodles in the Pot and
Joy's Noodles & Rice - Same owners, different locations. Great and inexpensive Thai food
Moody's Pub (Edgewater. Great place for dark ambiance and blue cheese burgers!)
Reza's - need I say more? (for those who don't know, I named my 18 year old cat after this place - best persian restaurant in Chicago!)
Russian Tea Time (on Adams by the Art Institute)…order the borscht soup and you'll see why
Ann Sather's (Boy's Town and Andersonville) - best cinnamon rolls
Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant (on Belmont and Devon) - one word: Buffet
And if you can save up for some amazing restaurant experiences:
Spring RestaurantTopolobampoSushi WabiBlackBirdThe place I currently have a bullseye on is:
AlineaMust dos:
• Chicago Film Festival
• Be a regular at the Music Box Theater
• Be a supporter of the Arts!
• Pick up
The Reader every Thursday and make it a habit to read it cover to cover.
• See the Symphony, The Joffrey Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Companies.
• See live performances at the Chicago Theater and Goodman Theaters.
Films that still move me: Trainspotting, Billie Elliot, The Three Colors Trilogy, The Double Life of Véronique, Dead Man, Dead Poets Society, Goodwill Hunting, Delicatessen and Schindler's List.
• Visit the MCA, the Mexican Fine Arts Museum, sit on the front steps of the Art Institute and people watch, go inside and spend a whole afternoon there (Tuesdays are free). My favorite spots? The Asian Gallery where you can find Korean celadon ceramics from the Goryeo dynasty, Georges-Pierre Seurat’s Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Julia Margaret Cameron's photo titled Julia Jackson, Constantin Brâncusi's Golden Bird, Edgar Degas' Ballet at the Opera, Albrecht Dürer's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Ed Paschke's Caliente, Fiber artist Claire Zeisler's Private Affair I, Chuck Close's Alex, Amadeo Modigliani's Red Nude, Marc Chagall's The Circus Rider, and the Arms, Amor, Medieval/Renaissance Cooridor.
• On going every year in April through May, is the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's BFA and MFA shows. Go! (hint hint, now!)
• Attend "
Around the Coyote" in Wicker Park's Gallery Tour to experience some pretty amazing (and shitty) art. You'll get just about every flavor, and it's fantastic!
• Do the
L.A.T.E. Ride (where you bike at night with hundreds of other riders from midnight to 6am), or the
BLT ride (Boulevard Lakefront Tour ride) - remember that one?
• Learn to navigate the city via train lines.
• Push yourself to learn one athletic ability. Mine was rollerblading. Granted, I did have one hard crash fall that landed me with a blood infection, and a summer with a bum leg, but you will learn how to train your body and push to the next level of accomplishment. (Just wear knee pads if you plan on going fast).
• Take a
Chicago Ghost Tour• Check out Old Town School of Folk Music - you just never know what you might discover about yourself, musically
As I wrap up this long entry, there are two more life long lessons that have been majorly important: The art of saying "Thank you" and "I'm Sorry". No one gets through life without the help of others (ego check here again). It has been of ultimate importance to say "Thank You" to those that have helped me along the way, as it has been crucial to say "I'm sorry", with conviction and no repeat offenses. Why one might ask? The answer is simple. It shows a sense of humanity and "feeling"— that a person recognizes a moment of reciprocation between themself and another. It shows integrity and maturity.
(Looking back on my own photos, had anyone asked "do you know where life will take you?", I would have replied "not a clue", but what I did do was keep my "Eyes Wide Open" and an open heart. a) fifth grade - ala 100% innocence b) age 16 height of "who am I?" c) first college ID photo taken after a graveyard shift of working all night at M&M Mars candy company the summer before hitting college. Message was clear — blue collar work was definitely not for me. d) first ID photo taken as a student at the Art Institute of Chicago while I was attending Loyola. Had no idea that my parochial elementary education would be a ticket to a scholarship for one class there, but it was first step to a definite path e) my first trip to California, overlooking cows and green rolling hills near the Hearst Castle. A life altering trip for sure and the destination of where I now call home. f) Monday morning, me, in this moment: 04.05.2010 10:30am, Napa, California.
I had fun going down memory lane of my youth - hoping someone else can
do the same, in her future.
