FUNGUZZ

Boy Crisis – Dressed to Digress (Nero Remix)

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been doing small drawings in blue ink, or ink and a splash of watercolor. I’m branching off into slightly unfamiliar territory here, which is great. I’m experimenting with patterns and photoshop more. Also, drawing in ink on white paper is forcing me to pay closer attention to my lines, since there are no do-overs.

I’m not sure what came first, the idea to do a series of blue ink drawings, or the creepy thin people who decided to take over the series. Watevs. Here are the two I’ve made so far:

I used these to practice manipulating images in PS. You can see the results at my DeviantArt gallery here and here.

I’m thinking about doing a post on Jerusalem Restaurant. This is hands down my favorite spot in Charlotte to relax, smoke some hook with friends, not to mention the amazing and cheappp gulf grub. I feel like doing a small tribute to the place. Like Stairway to Love cafe in Beijing, Jerusalem Restaurant is my haunt, my sanctuary, and my escape when I’m in Charlotte. I’ll miss it dearly next year.

I remember discovering it sometime back in 2006, when it had only just opened. Bored to tears at Davidson and starved for a dose of authentic culture, my friends and I were in constant search of hole-in-the-wall food spots with real character.

Before there was Jerusalem Restaurant, there was Jerusalem Cafe on Independence. It was a cheap middle-eastern joint with kabobs, wraps and hookah that cropped up inside one of those old house-shaped restaurant venues; the place looked like a decrepit “old-fashioned southern home-cooking” diner. It was also right next to an ugly car dealership (what can ya do, you’re on Independence Blvd). Service was proper un-american, surly and impatient – proper bad you could say (but we loved it). One time we got a scary big arab dude with a shaved head and a droopy, mean gaze that seemed to say  “I’d kill you, but right now I’m too tired” as  our waiter; he refused to give us menus when we asked (”No menus. You want kabob sandwich or you want mixed grill?”) then snarled angrily when we asked why our order was taking long (”I told it was coming soon no!?”). Despite the food being very good, the place was always empty and eventually closed down. We’re hoping they didnt actually go out of business, but had just been laundering money or fronting a contraband operation, because it’d be really sad if they did.

Thankfully, we soon discovered Jerusalem Restaurant, just a few minutes down the road. Hookah was only $6 then, now $9.99 – but this is still fair, compared to the rest of hookah places in Charlotte where it costs at least $15 to smoke. It’s been great to watch the place gradually gain the popularity it deserves. Hooray Jerusalem! A more detailed picture post coming soon.