Greetings from Chicago! Paul, Webly, and I got in last night. Webly got a direct flight but Paul and I got stuck in Denver for 2 hours. At least there was a brewery in the airport! It felt really holiday like there. It was snowing and everyone was all bundled up in in jackets.
The past week has been crazy busy. The zine retreat at our family cabin was fun. There were less people that expected but I think it worked out better that way. I thought I would be able to finish a zine but I didn’t. It just wasn’t all coming together the way I wanted. Hopefully I’ll get that and another zine done once I’m in Halifax.
I spent several days making copies of zines, finishing up button orders, running errands, having the first meeting of the Portland Zine Symposium, cleaning and packing and spinning myself out with stress. I had no idea what to pack to wear. Chicago, Halifax, Richmond and points in between. Autumn can be a unpredictable time to travel so what to bring? i went with multiple layers from long johns to jackets.
I ended up in Chicago walking around in the rain with leaky shoes. I guess I didn’t realize how beat up my earth shoes are. So, Webs and I spent this morning looking for shoes and ended up with the same boots that happened to be vegan by default. It is sort of amusing how there are several things that Webly and I both have that are similar and not bought by our mother. We have a strange similar but vastly different styles that do intersect at points.
We also swung by Quimby’s Books where I met Liz and Niel who has matching tattoos with my friend and fellow Portland Zine Symposium organizer, Blue. It was neat to drop by Quimby’s. I hadn’t been there in years. I got paid some money and also Picked up the newest version of the Another Dinner is Possible cook book by my friend Isy.
Speaking of Isy from Morgenmuffel, she asked me to write the intro to her zine anthology. I’m really honored to have the opportunity to do something like this. I have bunch of ideas but I don’t really have time to pull it together just yet because I have been walking around Chicago in the rain with leaky shoes.
Tonight we are going to see the Dead Milkmen at the Congress theater which happens to be a few blocks from where we are staying with my long time zine pen pal, Nicole. Good times!
Ok, Webs and Paul are taking naps. Maybe I should take on too.
Alex Wrekk 