Every Friday, I share  the pop culture, fashion, lit and random blips that were on my radar during the week. Enjoy! 

Stuff To Do
When I was in Chicago last spring, one of the best things I saw was the Vivian Maier photography exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. Maier was a nanny in the suburbs of Chicago who took photos in her spare time – thousands of them. She was a street photographer who could put many professionals to shame – but no one knew while she was alive. Now Minneapolis is going to have a Maier exhibit of its own when the Minneapolis Photography Center opens Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows this month. Exhibit preview night ($25)  is Friday, January 17 and features a book signing and talks with author Richard Cahan and Jeffrey Goldstein, owner of the collection. Free opening reception is Friday, January 24. Cool documentary screening is Saturday, January 25.

Articulture in the Seward neighborhood is having a Bad Drawing class for adults. About bloody time. I don’t know about you but I have a lot of bad drawings in me. Starts January 23.

If you’re fancy, you can take a bronze casting class at MCAD through their continuing ed program. How f’ing cool would you be? Starts February 12. Someone please cast a raccoon penis.

Aaaaand, you may as well mark your calendar now with a reminder to leave work early on April 9 in order to snag some seats for An Evening with Novelist David Mitchell at Northrop at the UofM. Cuz it’s free and open to the public and there are a lot of Cloud Atlas fans in these here parts. Although all the cool kids will ask him about Black Swan Green.

Things Floating Through My Mind
Hand of Fatima. Also known as hamsa. Get jiggy with it.  It’s said that the fingers of the hand can poke or pluck out the evil eye. Don’t we all need that in our lives?

I was at the airport recently and a guy walked by me wearing a Keith Haring t-shirt – black raglan sleeves (you really like clothes if you know what a raglan sleeve is), gray shirt featuring the image of the heart being held up by the Haring-esque people.

You ever have one of those moments when you go from having no desire for something at all,  because you don’t even know if exits, to wanting it so bad it’s all you think about? Heavy googling led me to the knowledge that the shirt was made by OBEY and that it’s sold out everywhere because it came out in Fall of ’12. Yeah, eBay is my new best friend.

What was Annie Lennox thinking when she did this to her face for the Freddie Mercury tribute concert and why does it look so awesome? And why don’t we talk more about how awesome Annie is in general? This is my new look for the grocery store.

I have decided something about the 1980s. It was a time of outstanding sunglasses. Or, as the French would say, les lunettes fantastiques!

 But then the 80s also gave us L.A. Gear, so go figure.

I’ve never read The Group by Mary McCarthy. Or The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe. I need to get going on my ensemble-cast novels from the 1950s and 60s, people!

Don’t even get me started on Tori Spelling. Ripping my way through her first book even though I made a promise to myself back in 2009 I would never do that. Well, the hell with 2009! I already put her second book on hold at the library. What, did you think I was going to pay for that shit?

Anyway, if you need a good cry going into the new year or just cuz its Friday and the weather sux so bad… spend a minute or two missing Freddie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ICO-RfjAU