so, i now have a temp job. after my three block walk to goodwill, my new commute is painfully slow and long. i discovered many a dilapidated gigantor homes on my way home on the no. 15 today, after waiting in the not-so-summer weather for 45 minutes sans pants. the good news is the new office has a never ending supply of free snacks and diet sodas and a non-gross gym and i've got a brand new giant mac on my own real life grownup desk and the toilet seats are heated. heated! like in heaven.

boston, baseball + the beach

two fridays ago we went to boston to visit dave and get out of town for once. we got stuck in the airport for 3+ hours due to the kennedy funeral and ate dinner twice. the next day it rained and we started drinking around 3 in the afternoon, pre- sam adams brewery tour. later we found the best brazilian cheese puff mix and bought five bags, then i ate chewy corned beef reuben, we watched a hott mom play pool and then andy did some jump kicks. sunday we ate a buttery breakfast and walked thought little itlay and got some sun then flew home. i sat next to the same nice lady on both the way out and way home. weird huh.

last weekend we had house guests and accomplished a lot of baltimore-ish things that we had planned on doing then got too lazy to. saw the orioles at camden yards, went to the beach [!] and ate crabs. and saw a magic show. it was a quality weekend.

life is going just fine. i need to get in touch with friends and stop picking up drug paraphernalia from the street and remember to lock the door when i walk the dog. the only thing that i've been consistently doing lately is listening to martin topley bird, drawing patterns on grid paper and drinking fruit smoothies.












1. nap time / 2. this is written on a vacant house down the street. in blood! [probably not] / 3. i sewed up a vintage dress / 4. goody bags for the block party / 5. i only took two photos in boston. both of them look like this / 6. i tried to take a photo of max but he head butted me / 7. take II / 8. baseball game day drinking / 9. vito's bar and philosophical discussions about cat morris code / 10. this guy owns illusions magic bar. he is sweeeet / 11. mixies at the beach, c/o emili / 12. crabs before / 13. crabs after / 14. RIP pink mocs

one year ago today

i took the train to bruges, ate cheese sandwiches in the park, got stuck in a down pour, climbed a medieval bell tower, ate pomme frites at an american themed diner, chatted to some grandpa about obama, drank some beers al fresco, flashed a korean traveler and pet a friendly stray kitty. today i woke up in baltimore, walked the dog, drank a smoothy, worked at goodwill, walked the dog again, got hit on by a 70-something, shopped at safeway, made spaghetti and watched three episodes of my so-called life. last year wins.

in other news, i've been having this feeling that the neighborhood is going to destroy itself.. or just me. not to be dramatic or anything. i'm sure this feeling stems mostly from the fact peter is away. and because someone stole the cash register from the restaurant down the street. and i still don't own any pepper spray. that's probably all it is, really.

even though i was sure i would be driven and productive without peter around all i've really accomplished was vacuuming the apartment. and watching a lot of hulu. i was supposed to be working on the web site and drawing and being a creative genius. i guess i still have six days..

this short film called detroit wildlife is excellent. you should watch it. it is peaceful.

Detroit Wildlife from florent tillon on Vimeo.

- i know someone who would really enjoy one of these.
- i'm in love with you, super gigantor house, with your multiple fireplaces and real life backyard
- this is some of the bestest writing i've ever read
- "N. Belnord Avenue, 200 block, July 23, 9:15 p.m. Someone entered a home through a front window and ate a pot of food that was left on the stove. 10 DVDs were also taken." more here
- can't wait to see me some ponies

petey and henry in the burbspa charlie, grandma cathy, peter and dad grilling meats

sunrise over bmore the morning after 4th of july sloppiness

bob the bear's park sculpture is no more

alice's new favorite spot

atop little round top

people like to rub this guys nose

h-mart

henry up on fed hill

i like these signs

up on the howard st. bridge

lunch by nature yummmm

charles st

artscape on charles st bridge

we liked this band

human foosball

photos @ penn station

kristen @ club charles

artscape, otakon + employment

two weekends ago we went to gettysburg with our neighbor-friends and their fetus [yay babies!]. we drove through lots of monument-filled battlefields. it was eerie. it would have been even more eerie if it hadn't have been biker week. for lunch we ate some excellent pulled pork and pit beef at corbin's then drove home and were pooped.

last weekend was artscape and we got to see some awesome dancing, a human zoo, a mini rave and a great psychedelic band on the charles street bridge. it was also the weekend of a giant anime convention, which was pretty much the best people watching experience ever. friday we walked henry up to federal hill and on the way drank margaritas and watched the surreal mix of the usual baltimoreans and teens dressed in frilly costumes and boys with swords mingle. then we bought takeout lithuanian beer from the harbor way in and went to zellas. saturday after artscape we drank cans of pbr and G+Ts at club charles then walked home and drank some more at zellas.. that was the third time that week we closed the bar there. go us.

yesterday i found out i got a job!.. a two week temp placement doing production and design work. i start next week and it will be about 19.5 months since my last actual graphic design job. halleluja.

i love you mark bittman
i will soon take my first baltimore bus ride
i can't wait for the babies to come!
i want my cat to stop shedding all over my shit
i love you sweet corn and i love you cherries
i like how these people think
i bought a tiny suede leopard print fanny-pack/belt

did you know that alan thicke is robin thicke's father? this changes everything..

this week i drank smoothies for breakfast, did not turn on the tv, was told i look good for 26, made a birthday card, baked a pie, went duck-pin bowling, helped out a friend, bought some 80s liz claiborne, ate pizza fries, sewed a skirt of out pants, drew some drawings, walked the dog 12 times, and today i almost lost it on a few of the regular goodwill patrons. today was not my day. thankfully petey is finally home and i've got a belly-baby full of new york friend chicken. and it is the weekend. thank you jesus.

smile girls

last week/weekend we were in the mitten celebrating. we hardly slept and still didn't have enough friend-time.

last wednesday afternoon, while frantically driving around collecting bachelorette party supplies, i drove past the former site of our neighborhood kroger. and once upon a time, a mcdonalds, too. they were both gone. well, mcdonalds had been gone since my freshman year of high school, but i was sad to see see the building without the blue kroger letters. it was a terrible grocery store. the kind where you buy rice and a week later it hatches moths. but it is where jeff bought me my first jug of carlo rossi and where we stole "regal rump" stickers during that one night we slept in the car in high school. anyhow, i stopped to take photos.

thursday henry met chopper the pug at the duncan's house then there was a bon fire. it was quiet [minus the drunks] and you could see stars and it felt like camping. friday was the rehearsal dinner. i cried. saturday was the wedding where i cried some more. then got drunk and danced. it was great. anyone who says they hate weddings is lying.

sunday we played with the dogs in the backyard and had a bbq. my parents made lots of yummy food and we had family chats.. weird family chats. monday we bought a buttload of wine and beer, had breakfast with cal and val then drove home. then we were zombies. then peter left for PA. then i played my first lasertag game[s]. i sucked bad. now peter's back.

i've got no patience to write this nonsense. i must note for posterity that, yesterday while working at goodwill, i had to clean up vomit from the fitting room floor. boozy, cocktail fruit vomit. the end.





1. my old kroger
2. bachelorette party
3. my old bedroom
4. the boys dancing at the reception
5. petey and drunk face post wedding

i've been working a lot for no money and it has been keeping me on the Internets but away from blogging. my google reader has also been neglected. we leave for MI in 2.5 days for 4 day of wedding festivities and family dinners and [hopefully] outside drinking. we don't get to do much outside drinking here.

last weekend we went to honfest and saw lots of hot pants and big hairdos. and a band named garage sale that i enjoyed very much. we also found charm city cakes and i took a photo.

last week i found out i'll be working at goodwill for a while longer. and that's fine.. i don't mind a three block commute on foot, but i do miss drinking coffee in a cubicle and sitting instead of standing all day. ahhhh jobs.

here are some photos..







wild strawberries in little lithuanian park
charm city cakes stalking
butt walking at honfest
this takeaway was in the movie pecker
i made father's day cards for my two dads
this is what crack viles look like
petey and henry and umri siki

vintage graphic design goodness

while searching the internets for hawiian-themed inspiration i found arkiva tropica. if you get all nerdy about 50s/60s/70s graphic design i highly recommend it. there is a collection of scanned restaurant/bar menus, matchbooks, etc. from "exotic" theme restaurants, mostly polynesian.. and this is all the collection of a lady named mimi payne, of whom i am very jealous.

c/o my new friend Danr0k

roof sitting + reminiscng

this weekend was a bust. spent all day saturday deciphering html/css and then most of the day and night sunday doodling web banners. and i am not done. i now have wordpress rage. make sure to NOT ask me to do a website for you because apparently i lack the skills.

we did get to roof sit on saturday night and have chats. it smelled of roof tar and gave me anxiety but beers help.. and we found out our friends are having a baby! now i've got baby on the brain. i can't stop thinking about tiny thrift store kid outfits. and starting a collection of glass baby bottles. and the increased urge to pee my mother always spoke about.

the countdown to vacation/wedding time/our MI visit is underway and i keep reminiscing about fun old friend times. like when we saw the 4th of july fireworks at freedom hill and tried to have a KFC gravy chugging contest and then tried to knock over cones on south blvd on the drive home, circa 2001. or when we played catch in kelly's backyard for far too long because we couldn't decide what else to do, circa 2001. or when we played "extreme" volleyball with the giant, pink bouncy ball at firefighters park and i made rachel, kelly and alicia spell out letters with their bodies so i could photograph them, circa 2001. or when we got drunk in the parking lot then went to see the ring and AD fell asleep then i got lost on the way to ram's horn, circa 2001. OR when kelly's mom paid us to paint their house that one week and we went to kmart to buy yellow paint from peter [but we said it "the diary of anne frank" style], then to seema's open house to eat pizza.. then moms decided to hire pros to repaint it all, circa 2001. what a productive year that was.

learn about man-size tissues via the peep show.

and just watch the first 20 seconds because there is some fabulous dancing.. AND the high five @ 2:20. rofl as kristen would wisely say.

cava crazy-talk

so how is it june already?

i have this weird thing where i don't like to miss out on any social gatherings. i also used to hate missing school for the same reason. i like to think that if i'm not there, nothing is going to happen.. but just in case, i'll always be there. i blame that quirk for not keeping in touch with friends. i'm hopeful things will just pick up where they left off when we eventually reunite. so i'm sorry - to the three friends that read this - for not writing letters like i said i would. don't worry, you didn't miss much.

lets continue this philosophical binge.. being married is great. if you're in you're drunk in your underpants and don't want to take the dog out you have a backup. same if you need a straw to drink your wine while lying on the couch.. there are other, non-alcohol related benefits as well.. they can feed the cat after she wakes you up by nudging your face with her paw in the night. it is just real handy.

- people have been cooperating so nice lately. even if that if that is not a real sentence, it is true. thank you friends for your cooperation and bartering of talents. it is like we are real grown ups.
- i got these elf-toe shoes today, only minus the elastic strap and in navy. they were $3 at goodwill. i wore them to the grocery store
- can't wait to see the hangover w. andy from the office. i like that mike tyson has a cameo
- i like to find baltimore and detroit related statistics
- we'll be back in the mitten in 20 days!

this post was brought to you by refreshing and delicious spanish cava

slacking + sowebofest

i have been busy-ish for the past few weeks and slacking. it is a nice change of pace. hopefully a lot of good things will be happening soon.

two weekends ago was sowebofest. it was hot and we slowly drank beers all day and marveled at how the neighborhood looks with hundreds [or thousands] of people in it. at night we celebrated with mexican food kindly made by neighbor friends, smack talking and a margarita nightcap at zellas. here is peter pouring beers:

check out my awesome mc friend charles. you can download his album for free here. i highly recommend it, and not just because we're friends.