Check out these stellar shots from our Saturday night at the Winking Lizard’s bowling alley. We don’t know that guy in the red shirt, but he did just turn 32, and that photo had too much in the way of stunning composition to pass up. I blame the flashing lights and Lady Gaga for my abyssmal score. Jen and Mark, Ryan and I were both jazzed to see you in sort-of middle ground Lakewood! Hopefully all of the tin cups at Deegan’s won’t be stolen by the time you get back. Erin and Pete, you are Cleveland’s Lily and Marshall.
I don’t think there has been an article of clothing that has changed how I conduct my life quite so much as my rain boots. There was a time in my life (between ages 14 and 20) when every pair of pants I owned was mangled, frayed, torn, and, when it was raining, full-on soggy halfway up my leg. Even as an adult, I’ve spent entire days of work with complete and utter sog-foot. There are, of course, worse things in the world, but I can’t get over the complete freedom that comes with rain boots. As a girl of flats and too-long jeans, I’ve stayed in my house for too many springs avoiding giant snow drifts, sidewalks riddled with rainrivers, parks with 4-inch deep puddle-ponds, tip-toeing around like an uncomfortable burglar just waiting for the moment when I’ll slip up and have to live with a 10-hour sentence of wet-jeans ankle until I can get home and change my pants. With my ultra-perky,super-plastic- flower, puddle-jumpin’ boots, I say, Screw you puddles, I’m stomping through. Get out of my way, snow drift, I’ll knock your head off. Watch out park-lake. I’m jumping in. With boots, spring rocks. And my jeans don’t look quite so crappy.
I’ve been meaning to head out to Music Saves on Waterloo, but my turn table has been out of commission since December*. Ryan decided to galavant with the boys tonight, so at the last minute I needed some Saturday night in Tremont entertainment: the perfect night to head over to Music Saves. The store is just a few doors down from the Beachland Ballroom, and you’ll love it even standing outside of it — when I got there the Papercuts were playing over the speakers, so I stood there for a minute while Ryan pulled the car into the 
giant snowdrift on the side of the road (bad day for flats — booo…). Inside, all the records are in shiny, clear sleeves, and everything is prettily labeled and clean. It’s a nice place. I love a dusty record store as much as the next girl, but this is a welcome alternative. The store isn’t huge, but they have a great collection of new (and used) records. In the new section: Beruit, Blitzen Trapper, Belle and Sebastian, The Black Keys, The Decemberists, etc… I didn’t get all the way through the alphabet because I had to get Ryan to the Happy Dog by 7 ish, but so far it looks like a pretty great selection. So my plan for Saturday night is this: with a finished paper in my back pocket, the bottle of wine I just picked up from the wine shop across the street, and a new Black Keys record, it’ll probably be a decent evening. Happy Saturday, friends.
The Black Keys and Ann Marie say: “We’re from Ohio!”
New food find: try the chewy caramel pecan cookies at the cupcake shop at the West Side Market. They are simultaneously crunchy and chewy, warm and soft, sweet and salty. It’s kind of a sensory experience.
*I dropped it off at Play it Again, Sam where the service is never anything but intolerably crabby, but where I — after more than a month of waiting — got my Technics back for a mere $1.55; worth the hassle in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aSLMEKl8E4
Restaurant Week: When it’s February and there are blizzard-like conditions it’s probably restaurant week in Cleveland. There are a bajillion things to do around here besides eat, and, maybe it’s some sort of ancient cold-weather survival instinct, but during this time of year, it seems like all we do is eat. But when it’s freezing outside and even walking seems treacherous, there’s nothing better than a round table full of friends, warm, flattering light, and a plate full of food. Try somethin
g new, and if you need ideas about where to start, check out Scene’s latest list of the best places to eat in Cleveland. Tonight: Johnny’s downtown.
Being happy at Happy Dog: I know I talk about this place all the time, but I love Happy Dog — music, tater tots, great atmosphere, all
kinds of different folk. I always love this place. Especially when Ryan stands next to the Elvis lamp (really, same haircut) and Erin gets a glass of what looks like turkey fat.
As much as I’ve been bitching about winter this year (because I am really, really looking forward to the thaw of 2011), I really shouldn’t complain so much because the snow is actually kind of awesome. The other da
y I stopped my car on Starkweather and 14th to take this picture.
Far from Ohio, in a remote part of Mexico, millions of monarch butterflies arrive from Canada and cluster in trees in a forest. They say their wings sound like a stream flowing in the distance. It’s in the middle of a drug-ravaged part of Mexico. I don’t know why I’m so intrigued by this story, but I heard it the other day, and before I fall asleep at night, I imagine I’m lying on the floor of the forest listening to the wings of thousands of butterflies.
“I’m the light in the middle of every man’s fog” (yes, again, but it’s a new live version):
Towns with grit (and why you need more grits in your life):
Newsweek might be willing to call Cleveland one of America’s dying cities, but those of us who worked our asses off in school (and know that no one EVER asks for your grade point average or ACT scores) know that there are things that define us besides numbers, and Cleveland is no dying city. So, in homage to a town with figurative grit (ie: indomitable spirit; pluck), here are a few places where you can find great grits. Remind yourself that people might say we’re dying, but we know the truth. We’ve got grit(s).
Zinc — Cleveland’s newest French restaurant, oddly, also serves some of Carolina’s best grits. The waiter told me they were straight from Carolina, so I looked them up. Click here and check out Glenn Roberts who is exactly the kind of person I imagine growing the ingredients of Zinc’s biscuit-brown, super smooth and creamy side dish. If you need a little south in your French, go to Zinc, and order the grits. Grits, you are like warm North Carolina summer breakfast, and on a cold night in February, you are a bowl of summer’s happiness.
Lopez — There aren’t many things that bring me voluntarily to the mysterious east side, but a bowl full of Lopez’s jalepeno-gouda grits are like Lotus island in a distant land. Spicy, cheesy, and probably the best grits I’ve ever had. Get enough to reheat the next day because you won’t be able to stop thinking about them. And, while you’re at it, have some dinner and a drink. I once got a margarita here before a grad school class, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Their lobster enchiladas are equally gratifying.
Life is, for me, a balancing act between the things I love that improve my soul, and the things I love that…don’t. Here’s some balance for you today, in case you need to tip the scales one way (or, of course, the other).
Class it down: “My (So-Called) Life as Liz”
I am absolutely in love with this MTV show. I was reeled in last weekend when I decided to stay home on a Saturday afternoon for once and stumbled across the Season 1 marathon. This pseudo-reality/semi-scripted show is about the life of Liz as she fumbles through her senior year of high school and into art school and life in New York City. Her awkward friends and dyed red-headedness have all the endearing charm and angstiness of “My So-Called Life” for a different generation. It might not be as topical, but it’s certainly as addicting and just as close to the heart of 18-year-old friendships and almost-relationships. Season Two started Tuesday on MTV and follows Liz as she starts art school at Pratt, digs through dumpsters for found-art assignments, and sits in the hallway of her dorm waiting for her room-mate to open the door. Check it out, but don’t tell anyone.
Class it up: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
If this book didn’t get you with its title, it’ll get you in the first few pages where an unamed narrator describes fuku, the curse of doom that the people of the Dominican Republic, especially the main character Oscar, fear and do nearly anything to avoid. The story follows the massively overweight social outcast, Oscar, who has two friends, a love for fantasy fic, and a family full of fuku fear. It’s gloriously postmodern ( there are books with no words, lost cures to the curse), has the feel of a work of magical realism, and follows Oscar on what turns out to be a kind of surprising epic hero’s journey. Infused with untranslated Spanish language and the twisty paths of his family’s past, I made myself slow down while I read to make it last longer. It’s complicated, readable, and beautifully, cleverly, windingly written. And you will love Oscar. Card catalogue entry: Junot Diaz, author.
Friday Night Waits: Ryan and I were walking home from dinner last night when we realized it was 6 p.m., and it wasn’t completely, entirely dark out yet. It seems like a miracle every year when the day finally gets longer, and now that we’re in February, spring is not so far away. This year, I cannot wait, so I’m waiting for any sign of life. Hurray for the rotation of the earth! Photo left: Starkweather Avenue in the February semi-light.
Turkish Food: Around the corner from us is the Istanbul Grill, which started as a completely dilapidated storefront when we first moved in a year ago, and now it is glowing, warm and lovely. Ryan and I strolled over last night (literally, it’s around the corner on Professor) . We’ve been there a few times before, and I’m never quite sure what to get there (except Baklava, which is kind of a given). And I haven’t settled in on The One — the food that is so amazing that I’ll get it every time I go. So I consulted Scene, which recommended the appetizer that involves tubes of warm filo dough filled with feta cheese and parsley, which were, of course, as good as they sound. They have some interesting veggie dishes like Okra Stew, and, if you like grilled, seasoned meats, this is your place. You can get them on a plate with some rice or melting into a yogurt and tomato sauce. Overall, it’s pretty delicious. And I’m not just saying that because we’re neighbors. Photo right: Istanbul Grill at sunset on Professor.
Poetry Slam: I spent my Friday night at the poetry slam at my high school. They had a great turnout, and I’m always awed by the energy that comes along with poetry slams — kids yelling and getting on their feet like they’re at a championship basketball game, but they’re moved by their friends’ words, which sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s literal; it is stunning what comes from the minds of some of these kids. Their writing reminded me of how young people can see stories and beauty in things that adults learn to ignore out of routine or lack of imagination or preoccupation with dry cleaning, gym guilt, and sink repairs. Of course, some of them also dispense way to much information, like the kid who made Jake avert his eyes in distress, grimace, and say out loud: “Jesus Christ.” When that kid made to the second round, we were a little worried. And our fears were realized when the topic of his poem was the objectification of women. Literally, one of the lines was, “Sex, sex, sex.” Ahh, well. A learning experience for some of the less experienced, I suppose. Yawp! Photo left: Teacher shot on the stage.
Saturday: Looking for something to do today? Go to the West Side Market for lunch or groceries, and stop across the street at the Valentine’s Market at the United Bank Building — it’s a collaboration of Room Service, Bazaar Bizarre & Salty Not Sweet.
You, yes you: Congratulations to Sara, John, and Jack, may you be the happiest happy little family. Moffat we’re glad to have you back at the high school and psyched we finally figured out your catch phrase. Goodtimes! Ryan, congrats on your lifetime high bowling score this week — the elbow injury was worth it in the end. Mark and Jen — I hope your weekend is magical, but not too Magical. Jake, completely enjoyed your costume last night, and Ann Marie, completely enjoyed that you spent the night making rhetoric jokes, and that your students all got them. Have a good weekend, friends!
YOU (Yes, you): Burns and Becky, it was great to see you in Cleveland last night, and I’m especially psyched to hear that you’ll be warrioring it up with us in June in the Appalachian Warrior Dash. Can’t wait to see you in C-town again! Jeannie and Timmy G. (who I doubt reads this), you should sign up if you didn’t already because I’m expecting to see you there. Great to see you last night, Pasta and Allison. Have you heard of this place called Fat Heads? We should check it out. Congratulations to Erin, you work way too hard, and you deserve all of the fun things coming your way. Standard-issue hooray! Thanks to Pete for sharing “The Tallest Man on Earth,” which might be my new favorite band (see video above). Sara good luck on keeping Jack indoors for a few more weeks, and congrats to Jen and Mark on your new exotic pets and on still referencing Charlie, out of respect, of course. Melissa, I’m so glad to hear that you’re returning to beautiful Ohio next month! Another win for the Buckeye State!
SCHNEIDERS: Congratulations to Kyle on conning someone into letting you go to China AGAIN for free. And, parents, I’m excited to try out the Brew Kettle with you tomorrow night.
TONIGHT: Ryan and I are headed to Night town for some music, drinks, and dinner. It is the perfect cold-weather place.
BELIEVELAND II: I’m not a big sports person (really?), but I am a big fan of sitting in the front row of pretty much any event if it’s only going to cost $12, which is how much it cost Ryan and I to sit right behind the basket at the Cav’s game last night. We got our tickets on Flashseats. And, of course, despite the fact that we were down by 20, the place was mostly full, the crowd was completely into the game, and the players rallied and got within six (or four, don’t trust my stats). For some reason, we love being the underdog. There’s always the potential for winning, but if we don’t, we’re still trying hard. Good enough!
FILM FESTIVAL:
The Cleveland International Film festival is coming up in March, and since I’ve randomly run into and met two people who work on it in the last two days (in two separate locations) AND my tap class was used to film the “tap” sounds that will be in a tap water promo video for the festival, I’m guessing this is a sign from the fates that I should go this year. Here are this year’s films.
I do love Cleveland, but I also love leaving it occasionally. Unfortunately, Ryan and I generally have a bit of a tough time making decisions. Will you help us decide where to go this summer? Also, feel free to join us — the more the merrier. And who doesn’t like merriment?
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