23

I am 23 now. My birthday always seems to creep up on me and this year was no exception - especially considering it fell on a Wednesday. It was fun and low key, and instead of treating myself to a new dress or something of the like I just took the day off and did errands. That should be the first clue that I am now not a fresh twenty something and with that it is the first time I can honestly say I feel older and also that I feel my age. I like the number 23 for some reason so hopefully it will be a good year.

Other than getting older I am trying to stay warm. Chicago had a cold summer and a warm fall and now suddenly it turned into winter. I woke up yesterday to snow and wondered where all of my time went. But now time will slow down and it will be winter until May, can't wait. At least now I can wear all fifty million of my jackets. I am looking forward to my mini break in KC over Christmas and also Diana's bachelorette party in Miami in April - yes I am already looking forward to April, sad.

Lurking hard or hardly lurking?

Just peek at my dashboard and you could learn a few things. Like...

1) My horoscope knows that I am not Britney Spears despite the fact that we have the same birthday. Oh and they spelled her name wrong - really? bad form.

2) Since when has CNN used the word "lurk"? They must have a bunch of 20 somethings writing their headlines. Looks like I should send a resume their way - who knows what kind of headlines I could come up with.

Other than that. Totally locked myself out of my house last night when I was taking the trash out. So what does a girl do when her roommate is out of town and doesn't want to call a locksmith? She walks to her brother's where they feed and house her. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that there was no urgency for me to get back into my apartment, but managed to make it a day with only what I had on me - which was nothing. I guess my mom is right - it takes a village to raise me - or at least a lot of family members and close friends to keep an eye on me. I'll grow up one day - really!

You don't know what you've got till it's gone...

I've been doing everything except what I actually need to get done. Like staining and building some shelves or being sick instead of you know, working on my portfolio. Yuck! Definitely need to get film developed and scanned before it gets too late. Weatherwise, it's supposed to be in the 60's this next week and I am having a hard time believing that'll happen. If you've been in Chicago lately you know that it's cold and that the weatherman lies.

My shelves. Did you know that it takes forever to stain and finish wood? Neither did I - I've been working on these losers since last week.

Well it's cold in Chicago and the temperature is only going to drop more and more. But that's ok, I am ready to sport some tights and boot combos. Halloween is coming up soon and my costume involves a white leather jacket - if you can guess who I am going as you get to borrow this sweet jacket. Besides halloween costume making crunch I've got portfolio review in exactly a month which is scary and exciting and means that I've got a lot of work to do.

In other news which I am sure my kind readers are excited about are my home improvements. Recently decided that I needed a headboard and being sans-money I found some inspiration and drew my version on my wall with washable crayon.

The beautiful inspiration by Johanna Santos.

Drawing stage.

The end product. Obviously not as great as the original but certainly better than a blank wall. Plus I can wash it off if I get bored with it.

My friend Leo's birthday. He thinks I look like his mom when she was my age. Odd compliment but I'll take them when I can get them.

Dan and I at MCA's Tuesdays on the Terrace, before it got cold.

Dan and his friend Ilko at Taste of Romania. Dan hated it.

Jamie Braun came to Chicago and got the most peculiar guys to hit on her. Evidance - her with our new friend Jimmy.

We had fun besides the fact that it rained the whole time she was here.

many mumbling mice, making midnight music in the moonlight

You know when you're so tired that you just go through the motions and try to drink enough caffein that your brain stays on? Well I've been that tired weird person and have probably talked to you incoherently - don't judge. Recently my roommate Gina got me a gig at the Threadless warehouse where I've been packing up t-shirts and zombie walking my way through the day. Considering I've been jobless for a bit, this was a much needed opportunity - and despite the fact that I've been lacking sleep due to nightmeres about folding shirts in my bed I'll be back at it in a few weeks.

Other than my stint t-shirting Diana and Reas (finally) got engaged and Mel and Larry are coming up just in time to celebrate. So now I've got to start my bid to be Reas' best man. Despite the obvious technicalities I think I've got a good chance, I mean we were roommates for almost the last 22 years (even though sometimes he didn't expect me to be). But I've got heavy competition against my cuban brother Dougless, cousin Benny, and of course Bradley (the dog). Should be tough but I am sure a little bribing can take care of it.

Send your wishes to the happy couple and buy some t-shirts from Threadless! Oh and check out the fall issue of Venus Zine. My name is in there under interns and there's a picture of me floating around there too, plus the magazine is fun.

I came across these pictures back around Christmas time when I was at my parent's in KC. They're all fairly funny and as is the way old pictures go - memorable. The Bowman family albums have some great stories in them but these are just a few.

I was a bunny. I look eerily the same.

Dad and I in Brazil when my parents came to get me. His look is flawless.

Reas and I after we picked up our dog Bailey (RIP). She used to eat our socks.

Reas and I in 1990. He probably beat me up after this picture.

Grand Lake with Aunt Cheryl. I am obviously well prepared.

Oh the family pictures. Dad had a bloody nose throughout the whole thing.

ROAR! One of my photographic masterpieces from when I was six or so.

Stephen Stills, Mom, and I. I just think this picture is funny.

SF '02? I actually just like this picture. No good stories.

SF China Town. I used to dress like a boy...kind of still do sometimes.

Homecoming '02? Clare Feeley is backing up my weird face with another. I think we were all standing around watching Homestar Runner before the dance.

Rachel's mom left the camera on the tripod with a note "Take a few photos," so we did. I think they all looked like this. I also think this was the most fun we had all night.

"Think about the blood that's pumping keeping you alive.."

Things I should be doing besides sleeping...

1) taking photos

2)looking for a job that actually pays you

3)volunteering

4)running

5)anything else that's better than sleeping

Summer has come and gone. The air and water show is tomorrow and that to me is the beginning of the end. Soon kids will be trotting off to school, the air will get colder, and the leafs will start to turn. Time goes fast and I seem to be wasting a lot of it. I however need to get out of Chicago. Went to KC to visit my parents and ended up being sick the whole time. Major bummer. Now it's time for a brain break, some time for me to actually miss this city. Who knows when that will happen or where but I hope it involves a train ride and some coastal water action.

___

These photos are all sorts of out of order but oh well.

My friend Sorcha from my Dublin days has been traveling the US with her boyfriend David. They made a stop to Chicago and so we hung out.

We got Burger King drive through on our bikes this night. Needless to say, i was hurting the next morning.

Baby Mira was born July 7th.

The Flaming Lips had $5,000 worth of confetti at their Pitchfork show. It was fun, but a little excessive?

Blurry David and Sorcha outside of Rainbo.

Treasure trove

Guess what? If you've ever sent me a letter, I still have it! I've kept a journal since I was probably seven and I've managed to keep every letter ever written to me stashed inside the covers of them; not to mention I still have all those weird notes my friends and I passed during high school in a shoe box somewhere. Call me a pack rat, but I think notes and letters are some of the most interesting things to look at later in life. Anyhoo, I've decided to scan some of them as well as other things like projects and my first photos ever.

Christmas card from Kenton. Dancing Banana.

A postcard from my friend Andrew Brant from when he studied in Rome. He makes neat drawings.

This is pretty funny to me now. Hannah Morgan sent me this from one of her summer adventures.

My dearest friend Jameson and I are also pen pals. He writes the best letters with lovely drawings to accompany them.

Brother Fulgencio. Sweet old man who drinks rum and coke. Helped my parents adopt me.

One of the first photos I ever took. I've been working in the darkroom since I was six or seven.

Probably the best fortune ever.

Photo from a school trip when I was 11 or so. Oddly enough, my photos still have the same feelings in them.

Bad scan but fun project. Line project I did for 2-d design.

Ok. Forget about my wanting to save the world rant.  I have somehow managed to spend too much money, and thus, need more.  As if I wasn't a busy woman as it was, I have come to the realization that I need to get another job.  Boo. Three jobs will suck. 

In other Sarah money news, someone has been charging me from fake online companies.  Yay! I've had to go to the bank twice in the past week to fix this.  Could all you greedy computer hackers just go get a real job like I have to? Thanks!

Went to the VenusZine summer issue release party the other day.  It was pretty alright. Free booze, dancing, hanging out at a fancy loft downtown. Working at this women's magazine is shaping up to be a good gig.  

Crossfader King has a party coming up on Saturday at Sonotheque.  This will be the biggest event that I've managed so I am getting excited for it.  Also, we're working with Lollapalooza on this DJ contest they're throwing.  Basically you send in your mix and go through a few rounds, finals are at the Double Door, and then winners get to play at Lolla.  Winners also win money, tickets to the event, dell computers, and a lot more.  Too bad I am not a dj but if you are go here to check it out.  

It feels like summer outside today and I of course am at work.  Thank god for daylight savings.

I've had too many years of upper middle class private education

There are days when I don't think of my future in terms of how much money I will make or people I'll meet or fun adventures I'll have, but by how many people I could help.  I don't want to be a PR jerk who spends their life convincing people that the lies that corporations spin are true. However I also don't want to be an artist who is blind to the world around them.  

I often think, like most people my age do, how I could change the world. How, if I just spent my life volunteering and being selflessly angelic, the world would be a better place.  But alas, good deeds don't pay the bills and that whole good karma thing doesn't make me a better photographer, plus I am no nun.  Thus, how can we really help the world around us while still taking part in the business world?  I've just spent the last 19 years at private episcopal/catholic schools and I really wish they had gone further than the whole volunteer and be a good person bit.  

I guess it's good that I am young and get a little bit of a pass for taking on odd jobs so that I can try to fight the world's problems one volunteer shift at a time, while also going out too late and spending too much money.  Also, I guess it's good that these are my only problems.  I am sure when I am 30 something and married with kids that saving the world won't involve feeding the homeless but rather making sure my kids grow up to carry on my superwoman ideals for me.  Geez, I hope that my poor hypothetical children don't grow up to be Fox and Friends Republicans. Their grandmother would kill them!

Summer has not visited Chicago yet. It's June and it was 40 something the other night. But due to a non stop schedule, I haven't really been able to pay attention to the lame weather. I started my internship at VenusZine, and apparently the last 19 years of education has made my writing really boring (which you probably know from reading this). I write like I am writing an essay which is obviously not what readers want. Thus the internship is a writing revamp.

Aside from the internship bootcamp, I've been riding my new bike and working. I am moving on Sunday and it should be interesting. My whole apartment aside from my clothes has been sitting in a storage unit in Lincoln Park for over a year. I have no idea what is even in there anymore. 

Dan and Kenya.  I had an event at Sonotheque last Saturday and had to run around taking pictures of people for our sponsor.  I never want to be a night life photographer. 

Jeff and Ron hanging at the bar.

Manuel, Christian, and another Italian guy.  These guys are always happy.

Good job Missouri.  Always a winner when it comes to meth.

I want this.  Who wants to buy me a motorcycle car?

There was really weird lighting at Neo so I took this creepy picture of Dan.  

Bike rides.  We took one of Dan's friends visiting from London on a bike tour of Chicago and ended at the observatory.