I watched a documentary about my friend, the artist John G at Canopy Collective. At the time, I did not know Canopy existed. My brother told me to meet him at Canopy. I said, should I bring a can of pee? Meaning a metal container of urine. That night was the last night my brother spent with my father before he died. The last place we spent time with him as brothers and as a family. This place will always be special for that reason. My brother will be getting married at Canopy in the spring. Spring symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. They may have taken one of us away, but we are adding one more to the clan.
I am sick of all the Cleveland boosterism and civic pride. CLE, Land that I Love. CLE Clothing Company. I do not even pay attention to the company names anymore because it is all very aggravating. With all of the shameless self promotion and shining of a turd, the city loses the identity that I align with. That is the grimy and grittiness that separates Cleveland from these fufu and chic places like Brooklyn, SF, Portland et cetera. I saw a shirt on Canopy Collective Instagram that said "Keep Cleveland Shitty" and I agree. Those bumper stickers and slogans saying "Keep Portland Weird" and "Keep Austin Weird" backfired. They are now overpriced and dumb like the rest of the US.