20120315: this week in random awesomeness

Every week yields its catch of random awesomeness (or awesome randomness), for which I continue to be thankful to the universe.  I humbly offer you the catch of the week, and bid you the awesomest of weekends...



1.  Crazy-complicated Japanese braiding machine:   Prepare to be spellbound.  Makiko Tada, engineer and master of the art of traditional, hand-braided, elaborate kumihimo cords, built this wondrous contraption.  Like wow, man.

more?  sure.  she makes them by hand too...have a look at her Posterous site.

2.  Asian senior fashions in the 'hood:  A number of the Asian elders in our neighborhood - which I would extend up to the Bryn Mawr/NEIU area - display no fear in their fashion choices.  I wish I had photos, but I usually spot these folks while I'm driving, so words will have to do.  Examples:

-- A man shuffling up Keeler north of Lawrence wearing a dark gray, shapeless Members Only old-man type jacket, except the entire back was covered with jewels, sparkling diamonds.  He glittered as he tottered along.  Reminded me of the poem "Richard Cory," the fellow who "glittered when he walked."
-- A fiftyish fellow with unnervingly straight posture who sports a huge shiny (plastic?) purple cowboy hat.  We see him regularly.
-- Another gentleman I've only seen once but would give anything to see again, wearing a shiny pink nylon tracksuit with '80s mauve/teal wallpaper-type insets down the sides of the legs and the sleeves - a bona fide Golden Girls number (thanks York&Mariposa for the image).
--UPDATE:  Just remembered another guy with a hat, the most tattered, bedraggled straw gardening hat ever, which for some reason this man has wrapped a cone of color Sunday comics around the crown, cut off about 10 inches above the brim, then secured and covered with shiny clear tape.  How could I have forgotten Shiny Comics Hat Man?

3.  Memorable family meals:  Japanese with the whole gang at Midori, in the private tea room on Saturday night - and delectable Moroccan on Sunday with DH and M at Shokran.  Lovely times both.

4.  Having some cool new work to do:  as a database analyst in the marketing communications department at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.  Perhaps a little extra thankful to the universe for this one.  I chuckle to think that the prospect of swimming in data for hours a day is, for me, a fun one.

5.  Movie night with my sweetheart at the beautiful Patio Theater last week to see The Artist, finally.  A true old-school movie palace, lovingly restored.  If you like the Music Box you must try this place.  All films only $5, and drinks/popcorn are much cheaper too.  It really does look like this:

5. This randomly awesome quote:   I was looking for "awesome" quotes on BrainyQuote, but most of them were neither brainy nor awesome.  This one, however, showed promise:
Some people think I am gay, which I think is awesome.  --Daniel Radcliffe

6.  Dear, dear family and friends:  not that you are more awesome this week than you usually are, but it floors me to think that just in the past few days - and every week, in fact - I've had correspondence and/or conversations with people who leave me breathless with gratitude.  I thank the universe for you too.

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