David Mack’s Brilliance Displayed at the PAC Gallery

It was a wet and cold day yesterday so I went out about three times.  I could tell that Neil and Eric were annoyed because after letting me out they’d stand by the door just in case I’d had enough.  Twice I did and the third time they kind of left me on the table on the porch for about half an hour.  I shook extra hard when I got in so they’d know just how cold I was.  They were writing a lot of stuff on the computer and kept saying they had to go to something and they finally did.  I welcomed the break and took a long nap in the guest bedroom.  

      We visited David Mack’s Alchemy, the sixth installment of his Kabuki series, which graces the walls of the funky chic PAC Gallery in Walnut Hills.  Kudos to Annie Bolling for turning over the entire space to a local artist, who has a national art cult following and is a superstar in the graphic novel world.  Not only does he write Daredevil and design the online cartoon promos for the TV series Dexter, but he has also created an ongoing cultural landmark in Kabuki.  He referred to his upbringing (a great portion of which was in northern Kentucky), academic scholarships, and work at NKU while answering questions about the exhibition on February 5.

      Kabuki is not exactly a superhero or a crime fighter saga.  It focuses on a Japanese female in her twenties coming to terms with her identity, which is continually questioned and developed in each of the books.  She has been involved in a group that may fight crime, may be government sponsored, and may be the key to her background.  Alchemy deals with that, but the middle of the story, follows her first meeting and possible future involvement with a young American male that strongly resembles David Mack.

      We have to deal with Asia.  We don’t want to as a country or a culture.  We keep looking back at Europe, but it’s Asia (whether the Pacific Rim or the Middle East) that is our nemesis and our secret sharer.  This is the overpowering subtext of this series.  Besides all of this, David Mack’s intelligence, wit, and sheer charisma were also on full display.  After seeing Blue Valentine earlier this week, it seems to me that David Mack is to graphic novels as Ryan Gosling is to independent film.

PAC Gallery is located at 2540 Woodburn Avenue at the corner of Locust in East Walnut Hills.
http://www.pacgallery.net/PAC_Gallery/PAC_Gallery.html

Off To Lemon Grass – Our Favorite 

for The Best Sit Down Fast Food on the East Side

      After David Mack’s Q & A, we ran through a list of nearby moderately priced stand alone restaurants and then said, “What the hell, let’s go to our favorite.”  Lemon Grass (2666 Madison) has been our neighborhood fave for about fifteen years and it’s still warm, friendly, and comforting as a sweater that never goes out of style and always feels just right.  The cuisine is Thai, the décor is simple and relaxing in a storefront beside one of the busiest shopping centers – Rookwood – in the region.  Parking is on the street and it’s busy on Madison Road so we generally end up on one of the Hyde Park cross streets with the Victorian and Prairie style homes that practically every yuppie in the city covets (and more can afford them in this downturn than in about twenty-five years).

      There are many dishes listed and they can be prepared with a variety of proteins (meat, fish, tofu).  The portions are large and the takeout business is extensive.  People need to have a place where they can feel that they discovered and that it will never let them down – Lemon Grass is ours.

A menu for Lemon Grass can be found at:
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/32/361849/restaurant/Hyde-Park-Mount-Lookout/Lemon-Grass-Cincinnati