Shakespeare and the Law

A scene from last weekend's Shakespeare and the Law conference at the University of Chicago Law School. In addition to the presentation of academic papers, there was also some acting--in this scene, Judge Posner, playing Polonius, is lying dead off to the left. Martha Nussbaum, playing the queen, is standing next to a student playing Hamlet, and Supreme Court Justice Breyer, who is playing the king's ghost.

Phantasm Street Wars

Upcoming events in Rockingham, NC:

-Outlaw Street Drag
-Phantasm Street Wars
-Cobra Club Lightning Trucks
-Smokeout Bike Rally

Our Literal Speed

Went with some other contemporary art fans to see some of Our Literal Speed, which tried to make art history and criticism into art. The example we saw involved "Rosalind Krauss", "Yve Alain Bois" and others lip-syncing a pre-recorded panel discussion about Picasso and Braque.

Conscience of the Art World

The Guerrilla Girls at the I-House, University of Chicago.

The gorilla mask, though visually striking, makes it hard to understand what the wearer is saying.

DASEIN

On 55th street.

I Am the Lawrus

I am the Lawrus, originally uploaded by Nat Hansen.

Art in Melody's office. By Wyeth.

Contextualism

I misremembered the time of Jason's contextualism class and showed up an hour late. When I arrived, the room was empty, and I wondered whether I got the room number wrong. I knew I was in the right place, though, when I found these sentences on the blackboard.

America's Most European Supermarket

Since Treasure Island took over the old 55th street co-op, I've wondered why it calls itself "America's Most European Supermarket". I think it's supposed to mean that it's fancy, but as Melody has pointed out, it more obviously suggests that it's small and you have to pay extra for bags and bag your own groceries.

Melody and I discovered that Treasure Island stocks PG Tips, Heinz baked beans, and HP sauce, which are essential elements of an English breakfast.

So, if Britain is European, then Treasure Island has earned its title.

Mother Goose in California

My dad has just published a new book. It's an alphabet book that takes classic mother goose rhymes and illustrates them using California landmarks, activities, and native flora and fauna. Every page is densely detailed and repays close scrutiny. For example, on the page for letter V, which shows a cozy rabbit family in a firelit cabin, the constellations in the upper corners are Canis Major and Orion---the domestic life of the rabbits is subtly shadowed by two threats, the dog and the hunter.

The book combines dad's attention to detail, his whimsical appreciation of nature, and his love of the local. It's fantastic.

Buy a copy from Heyday or from Amazon.

Here's a video of dad talking about the book.

Strategic Butter Reserve

Bricks of Wisconsin butter stockpiled at Solly's, outside Milwaukee.

The butter deployed on a Solly's butter burger:



The veggie version (which, when it was ordered, the waitress made sure we knew had no meat):

Return to the Schwartz House

We stayed in the Schwartz House in Two Rivers, Wisconsin with some old friends last weekend. The Schwartz House is a Usonian house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940. The inside of the house smells like the cedar that the ceilings are made of. The floors seem to be made out of smooth concrete and are warm to the touch. And you can use the fireplace:



We first stayed at the house back in November of 2005.

You can see more pictures of the place on Flickr.