TravelStream™ news feed for member siue on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/siue en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:35:44 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/siue/siue/1197159660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/siue/siue/1197159660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/siue/siue/1197159660/tpod.html Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:35:44 -0500 What's Siue Up To?

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Do Not Read if you don't know me!The big thing in Sept was moving in with JC and taking over the room from Desperately Dirty Man. There's not much to say that pictures don't. I spent about 200 hours on the room and apartment before I was satisfied with the condition. In case you can't see, DDM wrote on all the walls with sharpie that did not clean off and took THREE coats of Bullseye 123 primer to make it so you could BARELY see it. The expensive acrylic paint took only one coat.The day I moved in it looked pretty much like this. DDM did NOT clean up and as I learned later the big stuff in the hall that had been moved out was moved by JONATHAN that morning. DDM sort of suck around for a few days because he was living downstairs, and I tried to control my fuming. Never met such a nice guy who I wanted to MAME...
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Do Not Read if you don't know me!So I got back and found the radiator had exploded but there was also JC doing dishes. And he made ruhbarb pie. So that was nice.
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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Do Not Read if you don't know me!I had to switch in Chicago again, but unlike last time which consisted of missing seeing Christy and rushing over to get some Indian food before my train left, I had a full 3 hours of wandering. I didn't wander actually but had a clear destination - organic baked goods at Bleeding Heart! I had thought the place was vegan but it wasn't. It did have some vegan things to choose from so I suited up with candy, scone, brownie and sandwich. Then I walked back and on impulse went into this cute bakery and found that their $1 lime buttercream and root beer cupcakes were vegan too! Well I HAD to get them ;)I ran to Myopic Books and unfortunately coudn't really stay long. Only long enough to get pictures. I love this place. But, um, on my way out I saw a sign about no pictures. Well fuck it. All these pictures mean is GO HERE WHEN YOU ARE IN CHICAGO! Quimbies doesn't open until noon, when my train left, so I was out of luck with that place.
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Memphis, Tennessee, United States

Do Not Read if you don't know me!Instead of taking the train from Jackson back home I rode with Jen to Memphis. She was heading for St. Louis for a workshop. I got to see a little bit more of the state but not so much that I got any more idea of what Mississippi was all about. On the train I didn't get up until Greenwood, which Jen says is in the Delta?, so that was the only other town I even got to see a glimpse of. It seemed very working class and interesting - a place where maybe the big chain stores haven't hit yet. So Jen dops me off at the Memphis station at 3:30 and my train doesn't pull out until after 10pm. Not a problem, I thought, because there would be MUCH more to do in Memphis than 8 hours in Jackson... At the station there is no one in site. I walk around this big cavernous space and call hello every once in a while. Very weird. Finally I run out and catch a guy who's driving a golf cart around and he turns out to be the Amtrak worker - thank gawd because I couldn't walk around Memphis for 7 hours rolling my suitcase behind me. The Civil Rights Museum is luckily right across the street and Mondays are free from 3:30to 5:30 so I was good to go. I unfortunately had no idea how large it was and spent all my time reading the plaques from the 1800's that I had to nearly run through the rest of it. The museum got really interesting starting in the 50's when they brought out the AV material and had a real bus in there etc. The footage they played was astonishing, heartbreaking and inspiring. Black kids sitting at a lunch counter totally surrounded by horrible white guys pouring flour on their heads and such things. Lots of demos and sit ins. There was only two windows of Black Panther stuff but you could spend an hour there alone, combing over every little artifact. The museum is built around the Lorraine Motel where MLK was shot and killed. They put glass on one side of the wall so you could look into the rooms where he spent his last days. They reconstructed what it looked like. I'm not too sure what that part was suppose to communicate or mean, but it was sort of interesting to put yourself there back in time. Dude who's band shall not be named told that there was a woman who protested and lived basically across the street from the musuem. She and other low income livers were kicked out of their places in order to put up the musuem. She was protesting this as well as the idea that the place is a museum - a fragment in time. She was trying to get it turned into a grassroots civil rights center - because the fight continues right!? This was a golden nugget of information - it proves once again that things aren't always how they appear and that even seemingly black and white things (no pun intended) sometimes aren't that way. Leaving the musuem I started for the downtown, touristy, Beale district. As I walked along I was totally baffled at where everyone was. Was Memphis not a big city? Was there something going on in different part of the city? Where WAS everyone? When I got to Beale street i was even more shocked at the fact that although there were people milling about it just wasn't hopping like one would imagine. It was just so weird. I decided to check out the "hipster" area, more midtown and since I had no idea how to use the transit and heard it sucked I tried to hail a cab. TRIED is the key word here. I just couldn't SEE any! I was in the touristy section of downtown and there were no cabs! Finally I got one and it ended up costing $15 to get to my area. Hipsterville was where the record store was, the pizza joint was and the cafe Jen and I were suppose to eat at when we came into town but we were really late so she had to drive off (I could have also seen the Stax museum and the "pink house" owned by the Piggly Wiggly guy but they closed at FOUR pm!) There wasn't anyone in the pizza place or the record store. The record store was cool and I felt comfortable there. There wasn't anyone in the cafe as well but I had a damn good tofu sandwich and Mexican chocolate cake at the counter. While I was inside it rained hard. I left to see where I could find some PEOPLE. I walked briefly in this area - cooper and yonge - and STILL couldn't find anyone. Where the hell is everyone in Memphis!? Dude tells me that Memphis is indeed a sucky place and that downtown is dead and Memphis is sprawling. Sounds just like a ton of other US towns I've been like Rochester, Jackson, Detroit. It's hard for me to believe. It's the town of Elvis and Blues and Rock n Roll. But apparently in November people aren't anywhere but the suburbs. I got a cab back downtown and hang out there for a while before catching my train. My roommette sucked somewhat as the heat didn't really work that well and the top bunk was broken so I couldn't put my bag up there. But it was still more comfy than the damn seats. I lost my glasses in the bedding and the attendant found them for me. I felt like such a dweeb.
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Jackson, Mississippi, United States

Do Not Read if you don't know me!So I went to Jackson Mississippi to visit Jen and help with her Home Movie Day. Jackson has never had one before. Mississippi hasn't ever had one before. I've never been to "the deep south" before. It ended up not being quite much like anything...My journey began from Toronto to Windsor, hanging out with my folks and then taking the train from Detroit to Jackson. 24 hour trip with a stop inbetween in Chicago. This turned out to be the most exciting part of my journey. I decided to get a compartment, AKA "roomette" because I had always wanted to travel by train and SLEEP in a BED like thing on the train. If you've traveled long distance on the train you know they have these tilting chairs which are quite comfy and almost allows you to be fully horizontal. However if you are a side sleeper it doesn't work so good. And the trains are FUCKING COLD. I remember one journey I had THREE pairs of sox on and slipper socks as well! It was unbelievable. So anyway I treated myself to a roommette both ways. It ends up being not so expensive if you were travel with a someone and because meals are included. I was traveling by myself and the meals were a wash out because I ended up only being on board for one meal and the other I could have had but didn't want to chance being on the train for 12 hours without anything hot to eat. They actually give you vegan food and if you are to believe Joe B it is GOOD vegan food. I, however, got either an incompetant dinning car attendant or some really freezer burned food. It was a kind of schnizle with rice and half of it was dry and hard as a rock. The good part was tasty. The room had its own climate control which totally rocked and the whole little place was cozy and fun. Too bad I had a HELL of a stomach ache, but better dealt with by myself than having someone sitting/sleeping next to me and wanting to chat. I really just feel like being alone and quite when I'm feeling ill...So I got to Jackson at 11 in the morning and it was sunny and warm - around 70. Back home it was like portland - cold and rainy. So I was pretty stoked. Jen and I hung out when she wasn't at work and went for walks and cooked and ate cookies and went to the food co-op A LOT. Rainbow seems to be the only place where cool people hang out. Jackson was pretty dead and there was only one movie theatre downtown (Jen lived basically in the suburbs and was right next to a multiplex). The people there were nice and silly and there was a girl that was definintely either trying to pick one of us up or figured we were lesbians. Rainbow's cafe is the only veg place in town, and it's only open for lunch. This is the CAPITAL of Mississippi here! There were other options like good Middle Eastern but mostly we ate at home. I didn't have any way of getting around (couldn't rent a bike) so I stayed around Jen's place during the day. That meant only walking on this trail right beside the main busy street or watching Turner Movie Classics, which I have rediscovered. One day I walked around "the cool area" near Rainbow and was very disappointed. The second hand clothing store was pretty neat (they lower the price every week on each piece of clothes) and there was an old school candy store/soda shop that had this whole extra place just to sit and eat your sweets. Nothing else except the arhitecture was mildly interesting. Poor Jackson... I know they have a Roller Derby team so there MUST be some cool people and cool stuff to do SOMEWHERE... but I did not find anything. Apparently there isn't even a used bookstore in town? Both the Mayor of Jackson and the Governor of Mississippi are stupid arses from the stories I've heard. Mayor just goes around personally bulldozing crack houses without any notice, Gov is deep deep down in the pockets of Tobacco. Home Movie Day went really well, with crap loads of 16mm - which I was really shocked at. Lots of nice sweet old people and even some sound super 8 - which is always a good time. I was working nonstop - good thing there were vegan cinnamon buns for nourtiousment provided by Rainbow!Oh, I also played a game of scrabble with Jen and we both got over 300 points! I was acceptionally happy with that - perhaps I shall beat the pants off JC next time??? Well, not likely but maybe the game won't end with him 100 points a head of me. (My key word by the way was "shellaced")
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

And then back to the city I know best, for better or for worse. The States don't have these things:
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Columbia, Missouri, United States

Once again - if you don't know me don't read this.If you know me and want to be sent a message everytime I post here just sign your life away. its somewhere on this page. You just get an email when I update...And then I went back to Missouri. Always there is change, but always there is comfort in things that don't change. The Ranch is always a place to find interesting people doing interesting things. This round: David, Ken and Ben. Ken does wonderful artwork, cooks, plays guitar and has proved to be a fucking awesome DIY carpenter. Ben's got the job you all wondered about: forestry and examining tree stumps (counting rings and so forth!). He's also in Foundry Field Recordings who are my new favourite Columbia Band. :)The indepedent bookstore downtown is closing, however there's a new info shop on the Loop by the old Clovers health food store that puts on shows and art shows. There's a new cafe in the old Root Cellar (now located right by the True False office) - Cafe Berlin - serves up some yummy veg food. True False is getting big for its britches and not sure how things will go next year. They'll have a new Ragtag/Uprise/9th St Video building on Hitt St. But the Missouri Theatre will be closed for the year so where will 2,000 people go for a film? And the way things are now - you can't just go see a film. You have to buy a membership to see all the films you want. They say that most people in the "NRT" line usually get in (when things are sold out they say "NRT" which means "No Reserve Tickets") but I can't imagine that working for many more years. So there'll be some big and small changes in the coming years. Like always, there's love and frustration in CoMo for me. I'm a drifter so I don't quite fit in. I'm at the Ranch so it's hard to get around without a car. I have good times and bad and the heart of America. And usually its a daily swing...So here's some pictures of CoMo this year. Nothing having to do with the festival. That is also one of the love/frustrations with me from everything from the way it takes up people's lives for 2 months to behind the scenes to the excitedness that yes we HAVE pulled this off again!
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Portland, United States

** If you don't know me or have ever communicated with me this isn't for your eyes! Go somewhere else!!**So I've been wanting to write for quite some time. January infact. But things got crazy. My plan was to write about the great things in Portland and show pictures. I'll do a little of that. I've got three whole months to sum up. It'll probably be quite short and sweet.As I probably wrote earlier I fell in love with Portland around Sept. It kind of just hit me. So much awesome stuff to do, really interesting and neat stuff. Beautiful places to ride your bike to. Really great vegan food. Amazing vegan desserts. Good music. Fantastic movie theatres. One thing I did before I left was go to a movie in as many indie theatres as I could. I didn't hit all of them but hit quite a few. Coming back to Toronto makes me so mad. Portland is 1/3 the size and has about 10 more independent cinemas than we do. Some of them are pizza and beer places where you  can get the above and while you watch a movie. Some only have one screen and have been showing films since the 20's. Some are really elaborate on the outside and some are just pretty plain. Every one is located in an interesting neighborhood. One brought me to section of town I'd never been in. Mostly houses and a small strip of cafes, restaurants and the theatre. There was a pizza place that had vegan cheese. Even the pizza places in the hip parts of town didn't have vegan cheese. There was a cafe that had free wireless and great pie. A Middle Eastern restaurant with cheap date candies. The Mission theatre downtown was interesteresting because it use to be a church. The seating was very pub like. The windows were drawn with heavy curtians, although some light leaked through edges and audience members were fixing it themselves. Saw Running with Sccisors there - very very bad movie.Got to the Bagdad (again? I can't remember). It's fucking marvelous. I saw For Your Consideration there. The next Waiting for Guffman. Really GOOD movie. I was like the only one laughing outloud constantly!The Laurelhurst use the be called Urinhurst. It's fine now. Can't remember what I saw. The Hollywood is a theatre I found myself constantly going to because they always show good things. I saw the Jim Jones movie there and it was quite emotional. Really got me thinking...Cinema 21 was in the yuppie neighborhood. I saw a couple films there. It's a nice theatre but I don't rightly like being around the digs.5th Avenue is an interesting theatre because it's run by the university so the prices are cheap and some of it is really newish while the seats are very uncomfortable. Jonathan and I saw something there and I saw The Take as well. Avi was there and it was kind of funny. I think he saw my OCAP button...Kennedy School is quite the weird theatre. it's in a school with a bunch of bars, a soaking pool, a gift shop, hotel rooms etc. The seating is mostly couches and chairs that are too soft. I really liked biking the half hour to St. Johns because not only where there two cinemas there but the best vegan food in all of Portland or possibly North America was there. Oh man did I love eating at Proper Eats! The best tempeh reuben I've had in my life. Carmelized onions and who knows what else... I got my hair cut in St. Johns too because it was cheaper and the woman's name was Cookie... Unfortunately the area is being gentrified and soon the cheap ass food stores, the old bakery and the Sally Anns will probably be moved out. There's an Indie book store there too that Joe said was his favourite in all of Portland (not sure why tho!). I finally got to see a film at the Moreland in Sellwood. I also found out, a little too late, that there are some great antique stores right there. I already knew, of course, that Sellwood contained the great Oaks Park and the amazing Piece of Cake bakery that serves heavenly spelt vegan creations (although very pricey). I think I must have ranted about Oaks Park in a previous entry. Oldest amusement park in Portland, or probably the Northwest, over looking the Willamette. Wooden roller rink in tip top shape and you can skate to a real wurlitzer organ thursdays and sundays. Fantastic.I went to quite a few films at Clinton Street cinemas. It's a very dark and dingy kind of place but it's by two good record stores. Jamie and I saw some movie about New Wave or something and ate garlic fries across the street at Dots talking punk rock afterwards...Northwest Film Center - although I love their programming - had to move from the Guild to the Art Galleries Whitsell Auditorium. I don't like that space so much. It's too clean, they take your bags, no eating or drinking, no popcorn, can't see subtitles. I saw many films there however. I caught some films at a place by a group that for the life of me I can't remember. Basically a film club who show FILM. The place gets cold because they have to shut off the heat - the fucking thing is so loud. It was great to see 16mm tho..The collective at Liberty Hall shows videos every month and they are all political and all very intriguing. They serve food, very yummy food, before hand :)I'd always pass CinemaMagic but never got to see a movie there. They were always playing crap. Jonathan and I were also really lucky that we got to the Drive In on hiway 99. It's about an hour from Portland. Too bad most Drive Ins are drives from the city! Now here are some pictures and stories that don't have anything to do with movie theatres!
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Pdx, United States

Jonathan keeps saying "You should go to live journal! All your friends are there!  Then they will read your blogs!" Well it doesn't really matter if people read these or not, and this is STILL the best place to write and post pictures. I can post as many as I want. If you DO want to read this regularily just sign up for getting messages whenever I post something new. It's simple!I don't have any pictures for this because I left my crappy camera at home when I went to Canada, but this DOES deserve it's own entry: Jonathan and I got back together! It was a long and hard journey. Although I missed him and am super happy we'll be eventually spending ridiculous amounts of time together I think what happened was meant to happen and needed to happen. We learned a lot during the down period, we learned a lot when we were totally separate people. I don't mourn for the time we were a part because I know we will a lifetime of fabulous adventures on the horizon. I've encountered SOOOO many fucked up and frustrating boys in the last 3 years it boggles my mind. Keeps pushing me to think that men really ARE different from women in many ways, mostly in communication. Jonathan has been the only boy I've been romantically involved with who TALKS and doesn't make me pull my hair out trying to figure out what he's thinking and why he does why he does. Not only that but damn I've never hung out with anyone who made me laugh as much! Being away from Ben and Jonathan for so long probably contributed to my depression. There just wasn't anyone here who could step up and make my belly ache...So I'm also very very extremely thankful I got my sweetie back. I may not have a house or job that's stable, but eventually I will have a stable relationship with a beautiful brilliant Culp and that makes me QUITE happy!um hopefully if you click on this it won't look so fucking scary!
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PDX, United States

**This is not a public diary. I just don't want to pay the money to make it private**Yes I haven't written in a while. There was too much going on. I don't think anyone really reads this anyway. A therapist I saw twice suggested I have Seasonal Affected Disorder. I thought maybe I did too. But you start to wonder when you are feeling crappy when the sun is out and the sky is blue :PI had to buy new clothes today because although I've lost some of that 15 pounds I put on, I've gain muscle in my thighs and hips (just where I need it) so my clothes fall/winter/spring pants don't fit anymore. How friggin annoying. I bought three new pair of pants two years ago, haven't bought new pants in like 7 years, and now they don't fit. I can only hope that when I eventually leave here (?) some of this muscle will go away.I've had to start sleeping on the top bunk because my lower mattress is getting unbelievable. I have severe pain in my shoulders now. Have to take epson salt baths every day. Not fun.Perhaps I will just let pictures speak. I have many to post. I didn't take a whole lot when I should have, especially since I got back to Portland. But that's the way it goes.
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