“80% of male multimillionaires having extramarital affairs plan to cut back on lovers’ gifts, says Prince and Associates”
This was a quote in my January issue of Money magazine. I just cracked up laughing when I read it. It really caused me to wonder who this magazine is truly written for. In all honesty, who is that statistic really going to help? I mean it is great for a laugh but is it real financial advice? Not so much. Is it even a real financial trend? I guess it is if you are an affair having multimillionaire. What’s the point? Maybe the author thought it was as funny as I do.
I am having a really hard time focusing on anything but getting on a plane on Saturday. Not only do I get to go home to Minneapolis for seven days but I get to come back home to Chicago and not have to be back to work for nine more. Oh the joys of working in higher ed.
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ITS ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL TIMES OF THE YEAR
Tomorrow is a special day; Monica will turn the big 3-0. It also happens to be Thanksgiving. While the main festivities for Monica will be on Saturday, her birthday couldn’t be ignored and I got her a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. No pies at my house. We will keep ourselves entertained with Wii, PS3, TV karaoke, and if Netflix behaves Kung Fu Panda on blu-ray.
When I get home I will start the final stage of Thanksgiving preparations. Cleaning the living room and getting stage one of cooking going. When Tony gets home we will start cleaning our room. We might need the extra space. Our menu for thanksgiving is an awesome one:
Main dishes:
Turkey
Ham
Turkey Tofu (NOT tofurkey)
Sides:
Butter dipped rolls
Collard Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
Stuffing (turkey and vegetarian)
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes (regular and roasted garlic blue cheese)
Cranberry Sauce (homemade no cans here)
Asparagus soup
Brussel Sprouts
Vegetarian gravy
Dessert:
Gravy Cake
Aforementioned ice cream cake
Tonight I will help Monica’s turkey thaw, marinate the tofu and assemble the turkey tofu casserole, and make the cranberry sauce. The rest should be okay for tomorrow. I think we have 12 people confirmed and we may get up to 7 more stoppers by. It should be a good time. I hope everyone has as much fun as we will. I hope there is enough wine. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!
When I get home I will start the final stage of Thanksgiving preparations. Cleaning the living room and getting stage one of cooking going. When Tony gets home we will start cleaning our room. We might need the extra space. Our menu for thanksgiving is an awesome one:
Main dishes:
Turkey
Ham
Turkey Tofu (NOT tofurkey)
Sides:
Butter dipped rolls
Collard Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
Stuffing (turkey and vegetarian)
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes (regular and roasted garlic blue cheese)
Cranberry Sauce (homemade no cans here)
Asparagus soup
Brussel Sprouts
Vegetarian gravy
Dessert:
Gravy Cake
Aforementioned ice cream cake
Tonight I will help Monica’s turkey thaw, marinate the tofu and assemble the turkey tofu casserole, and make the cranberry sauce. The rest should be okay for tomorrow. I think we have 12 people confirmed and we may get up to 7 more stoppers by. It should be a good time. I hope everyone has as much fun as we will. I hope there is enough wine. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!
Friday, July 25, 2008
THE WORLD IS MADE OF ENERGY
Sunday was a happy day of chillin. We arrived around 2ish so that we could get a good spot for The Apples in Stereo at 3. We got our spot from last year’s festival on the left side of the stage right against the rail. We settled in to wait for things to start. Shortly after we got settled Terrence the Security Guard, who we knew from Public Enemy spotted us and came over to say hi.
“What band are you here to see today?” he asked
“This one,” we replied
“Move to the middle” he said
So, of course, we move toward the middle. He’s right up front telling people to move down and clearing a spot for us front and center. In fact, as you watch the corresponding video from the show you can see how no one seems to be standing front and center, it is because we are very short. In fact, about halfway through the song there is a shot of the crowd and you can see two sets of brown arms clapping; one set has a wooden bracelet. That bracelet is Monica. I am next to her and not quite as brown. I watched this video a bunch of times to catch that. There were lots of beach balls during this show. I kind of hate beach balls. I wanted to pop them but never caught one. I accidentally hit one a few times in trying to catch it. Lame.
After the show we went to sit for the remainder of the evening because we are old and we like to chill. We took turns getting food cause no one likes to sit alone. Jamie’s veggie dog came with multigrain chips, mine didn’t. Racist (hahah). It was a good veggie dog though and I didn’t mind not having chips cause I had a delicious mango smoothie. It was very very hot and even though I drank a lot of liquids I sweated them all out and still didn’t use the port-o-potty!
Les Savy Fav was up next and did they ever put on a show. A big old dude in shiny red drawers is always a recipe for a good show. After them it was The Dodos were very chill, during this time it was very hot and Jamie and I spent much time sitting under umbrellas or setting them up to shade us as we lay peacefully. Sometimes I was all long and would read my book. I later got laughed at for reading my book. I love Jonathan Ames so much. See, there is this game we were playing about spotting all the ridiculous Pitchfork people and I guess reading was worth some points. Star tattoos are also worth points and Monica had the nerve to call points on someone we knew.
In true politically incorrect fashion we decided that the game winning spot would be an Asian/Asian couple. I know, I know, not cool but research has been done, they are rare, particularly at places such as outdoor music festivals. Monica spotted one while she was away from the group but Stacy saw them so she technically won. I also spotted one so I came in second. I think I should have gotten bumped up points for spotting an Asian Man White Woman couple earlier on; they are kind of rare too. Racist.
That’s just rude. Jamie left us to go see Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and I maybe should have gone because as much as I wanted to see M Ward and liked listening to his set, I couldn’t hear all of it because of Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and the bass they were spewing all over the festival. Oh well. After M Ward was Spiritualized, a fine band but somewhat forgettable. Dinosaur Jr. was next, looking as 90s as anyone can look. Even more than me when I wear skirts, tights, and Dr. Marten boots.
Spoon closed the show. They were really boring. Monica and her friend Stacy did some dances. I don’t know if it was because they were trying to get into the band or because they were hating. I was just chillin and kind of sad I couldn’t’ read anymore since it was dark. There was this girl who loved Spoon more than anything ever in life and she was doing all sorts of spastic dances all over the place. We agreed that it was time to go before Spoon was over. As we were leaving we heard Cut Copy on the B stage and they sounded good. Too bad we hadn’t been over there listening. Oh well.
Thus ended my weekend at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
“What band are you here to see today?” he asked
“This one,” we replied
“Move to the middle” he said
So, of course, we move toward the middle. He’s right up front telling people to move down and clearing a spot for us front and center. In fact, as you watch the corresponding video from the show you can see how no one seems to be standing front and center, it is because we are very short. In fact, about halfway through the song there is a shot of the crowd and you can see two sets of brown arms clapping; one set has a wooden bracelet. That bracelet is Monica. I am next to her and not quite as brown. I watched this video a bunch of times to catch that. There were lots of beach balls during this show. I kind of hate beach balls. I wanted to pop them but never caught one. I accidentally hit one a few times in trying to catch it. Lame.
After the show we went to sit for the remainder of the evening because we are old and we like to chill. We took turns getting food cause no one likes to sit alone. Jamie’s veggie dog came with multigrain chips, mine didn’t. Racist (hahah). It was a good veggie dog though and I didn’t mind not having chips cause I had a delicious mango smoothie. It was very very hot and even though I drank a lot of liquids I sweated them all out and still didn’t use the port-o-potty!
Les Savy Fav was up next and did they ever put on a show. A big old dude in shiny red drawers is always a recipe for a good show. After them it was The Dodos were very chill, during this time it was very hot and Jamie and I spent much time sitting under umbrellas or setting them up to shade us as we lay peacefully. Sometimes I was all long and would read my book. I later got laughed at for reading my book. I love Jonathan Ames so much. See, there is this game we were playing about spotting all the ridiculous Pitchfork people and I guess reading was worth some points. Star tattoos are also worth points and Monica had the nerve to call points on someone we knew.
In true politically incorrect fashion we decided that the game winning spot would be an Asian/Asian couple. I know, I know, not cool but research has been done, they are rare, particularly at places such as outdoor music festivals. Monica spotted one while she was away from the group but Stacy saw them so she technically won. I also spotted one so I came in second. I think I should have gotten bumped up points for spotting an Asian Man White Woman couple earlier on; they are kind of rare too. Racist.
That’s just rude. Jamie left us to go see Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and I maybe should have gone because as much as I wanted to see M Ward and liked listening to his set, I couldn’t hear all of it because of Ghostface Killah & Raekwon and the bass they were spewing all over the festival. Oh well. After M Ward was Spiritualized, a fine band but somewhat forgettable. Dinosaur Jr. was next, looking as 90s as anyone can look. Even more than me when I wear skirts, tights, and Dr. Marten boots.
Spoon closed the show. They were really boring. Monica and her friend Stacy did some dances. I don’t know if it was because they were trying to get into the band or because they were hating. I was just chillin and kind of sad I couldn’t’ read anymore since it was dark. There was this girl who loved Spoon more than anything ever in life and she was doing all sorts of spastic dances all over the place. We agreed that it was time to go before Spoon was over. As we were leaving we heard Cut Copy on the B stage and they sounded good. Too bad we hadn’t been over there listening. Oh well.
Thus ended my weekend at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
INVASION OF THE MUD PEOPLE
So I arose bright and early on Saturday morning, like around 10 and started to get ready for the day. I had a poncho and an umbrella stuffed in my bag and a plastic bag to carry them in if they got wet, which was going to happen. I headed down to the festival and got there before Monica but not before her cousins and their ridiculously adorable child. I spotted them and then saw this tiny tot in a sling with HUGE hot pink headphones covering her ears from the concert noises. The headphones pushed her cheeks up to make them extra bumby. When I arrived, Boban i Marko Markovick Orkester was warming up. They played a pretty groovy and fun set. It sounded something like klesmergypsyjazz. I only got rained on a little, not enough to warrant an umbrella or poncho.
Monica arrived in time for A Hawk and a Handsaw. During there set it flirted between umbrella time and poncho time. Then it definitely became poncho time so we busted them out. Ponchos are kind of awesome. A Hawk and a Handsaw were pretty chill; they had an accordion so that is always a good sign. Their music was a mix between calm, crazy, folk, and gypsy. There was a dude in the crowd with a crazy mustache and visors that went over the lenses of his sunglasses HA! Monica and I tested out the frontish area of the crowd for a while and then retreated to the blanket. I mean, we didn’t need to be all up there…yet.
Icy Demons was next, we needed to be all up there for them. Jamie showed up. Yeah Jamie! What a glorious band is Icy Demons. I don’t know how to explain them except to say that they like to have lots of fun and that they make me smile. I will try to explain them; harmonies, dances, percussion, crazy sweaty drummer that Monica wanted to touch, a smidgen of the ridiculous, and lots of bouncing around will have to suffice. During the show poncho time ended and the sun came out. They must have brought the good weather with their cheer.
It was time for some snacks and then we were going to see Fuck Buttons. Snacks were good Fuck Buttons, despite their excellent name and promising description were incredibly boring. We left to find a nice parking spot on the other side of the field for Vampire Weekend. We also managed to catch a good amount of Dizzee Rascals set. That dude was putting on an excellent show. Vampire Weekend’s show…not so much. I hadn’t really heard their music before but I had heard good things…I hope their album is more interesting then their performances. !!! was up next, if you are curious about that band don’t try to google them, according to an article Monica read they are one of the least ungoogleable bands ever. People often call them chk chk chk but I have also heard bam bam bam and pow pow pow. I think I’ll refer to them as exclamation exclamation exclamation because it’s funny. They freaking rocked though.
It was around that time that we noticed the mud people. I suppose that anytime there is rain at a festival you are going to get mud people. These fools were slip and sliding through mud pits. It was disgusting. They had mud mouths, mud bodies, mud everything. I shuddered every time they walked by our nice safe non-muddy blanket. At one point when I was all alone holding own the blanket fort there was some proper mud wrestling complete with a piledriver. I was pretty sad no one else saw it.
The Hold Steady were up next. They certainly put on a show but they aren’t really my kind of band, a little too regular or something. I’m not sure what it was that didn’t move me because they were pretty good. However, other than Icy Demons, Saturday belonged to Jarvis Cocker. He was AWESOME. He got up there in his little suit, although he had to lose the jacket because it was hot, and threw down. At one point we looked to the monitor and saw him singing and dancing, the next second he was on the ground writing like a true star. You go, Jarvis.
Animal Collective was the last band to play. They were supposed to be awesome. Maybe if I had been on many many drugs they would have been. I wasn’t even on beer cause I am terrified of the port-o-potties and vowed not to use them at all, and I didn’t, not once. There was this dude who was on lots of drugs and stared at us with much intensity while we folded up our nonmuddy blanket. After we were done he proceeded to lie down and get kind of trampled. Monica told some people who kind of stepped on him that they needed to leave her boyfriend alone and that he was embarrassing her. It was funny to us but the other folks didn’t get it. We left before Animal Collective was done cause I’m too old for a damn hippie jam band with a light show.
Sunday….
Monica arrived in time for A Hawk and a Handsaw. During there set it flirted between umbrella time and poncho time. Then it definitely became poncho time so we busted them out. Ponchos are kind of awesome. A Hawk and a Handsaw were pretty chill; they had an accordion so that is always a good sign. Their music was a mix between calm, crazy, folk, and gypsy. There was a dude in the crowd with a crazy mustache and visors that went over the lenses of his sunglasses HA! Monica and I tested out the frontish area of the crowd for a while and then retreated to the blanket. I mean, we didn’t need to be all up there…yet.
Icy Demons was next, we needed to be all up there for them. Jamie showed up. Yeah Jamie! What a glorious band is Icy Demons. I don’t know how to explain them except to say that they like to have lots of fun and that they make me smile. I will try to explain them; harmonies, dances, percussion, crazy sweaty drummer that Monica wanted to touch, a smidgen of the ridiculous, and lots of bouncing around will have to suffice. During the show poncho time ended and the sun came out. They must have brought the good weather with their cheer.
It was time for some snacks and then we were going to see Fuck Buttons. Snacks were good Fuck Buttons, despite their excellent name and promising description were incredibly boring. We left to find a nice parking spot on the other side of the field for Vampire Weekend. We also managed to catch a good amount of Dizzee Rascals set. That dude was putting on an excellent show. Vampire Weekend’s show…not so much. I hadn’t really heard their music before but I had heard good things…I hope their album is more interesting then their performances. !!! was up next, if you are curious about that band don’t try to google them, according to an article Monica read they are one of the least ungoogleable bands ever. People often call them chk chk chk but I have also heard bam bam bam and pow pow pow. I think I’ll refer to them as exclamation exclamation exclamation because it’s funny. They freaking rocked though.
It was around that time that we noticed the mud people. I suppose that anytime there is rain at a festival you are going to get mud people. These fools were slip and sliding through mud pits. It was disgusting. They had mud mouths, mud bodies, mud everything. I shuddered every time they walked by our nice safe non-muddy blanket. At one point when I was all alone holding own the blanket fort there was some proper mud wrestling complete with a piledriver. I was pretty sad no one else saw it.
The Hold Steady were up next. They certainly put on a show but they aren’t really my kind of band, a little too regular or something. I’m not sure what it was that didn’t move me because they were pretty good. However, other than Icy Demons, Saturday belonged to Jarvis Cocker. He was AWESOME. He got up there in his little suit, although he had to lose the jacket because it was hot, and threw down. At one point we looked to the monitor and saw him singing and dancing, the next second he was on the ground writing like a true star. You go, Jarvis.
Animal Collective was the last band to play. They were supposed to be awesome. Maybe if I had been on many many drugs they would have been. I wasn’t even on beer cause I am terrified of the port-o-potties and vowed not to use them at all, and I didn’t, not once. There was this dude who was on lots of drugs and stared at us with much intensity while we folded up our nonmuddy blanket. After we were done he proceeded to lie down and get kind of trampled. Monica told some people who kind of stepped on him that they needed to leave her boyfriend alone and that he was embarrassing her. It was funny to us but the other folks didn’t get it. We left before Animal Collective was done cause I’m too old for a damn hippie jam band with a light show.
Sunday….
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
WE NEEDED A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD THOSE MF'S BACK
So, Pitchfork (so named for Pitchfork Magazine) Festival was pretty freaking great. Monica, Jamie, others, and I had excellent times. Here’s a little rundown. I had hoped to add video to this but everything was streamed live and is not currently available. However, I bet it will be one of these days. I hope it will be.
Friday-
My one and only reason for being there on Friday was to see Public Enemy perform “It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back”. Monica was also happy to hear Sebadoh play “Bubble and Scrape” and, although I listened to it a few times and thought it was swell I didn’t much care. Public Enemy was what’s up. We arrived at about 6something (they went on at 8) and were able to walk right up to front and slightly (and I mean slightly) off center to chill and wait. We were able to hear Mission of Burma play some of “Vs.”, which was okay. Sebadoh sounded good, until The Bomb Squad decided to tune up during the acoustic part of the set.
Let me just say that the first note from the Bomb Squad reverberated my spleen. We all looked at each other and were like…”uh…earplugs?” We did manage to secure a pair from some security guards and covered them with some torn up medical gown or something of the like that our new friend Hilarie game us. The Bomb Squad didn’t seem to notice that Sebadoh was still playing and they started the show, they had to stop. This caused the more rude and jerky members of the audience to chant, “Sebadoh sucks” repeatedly, which is not true.
Let me just say that many of the “fans” who were there didn’t care dick about PE, they just wanted to see some Flavor Flav, which is bogus cause Chuck D is the man. There were some real fans there though. These dudes to the right of us were like, “man, I remember when this came out, I was in eighth grade and I thought, man, Black people really hate us…and they have a reason!” Monica and I burst into laughter. Another dude said, “It looks like hot topic exploded into a thrift store in here,” and I told him that was the funniest thing I had ever heard. He looked at me and Monica and didn’t reply…maybe he thought we were too thrift store.
As start time neared these same loser fans made the most horrible siren noises ever to signal the start of the album. I wanted to kill them. When the real siren noises came on I forgot about it, cause it was about to be AWESOME. It was around the beginning of the show that security guard James was replaced with Terrence, the most awesome security guard ever. Flavor forgot to come on stage for Bring The Noise, which was pretty silly. He was dealing with his family, who were a bunch of adorable kids who danced like madmen the whole show. We loved them. Then Terrence had Monica take some pictures and video on his phone, which may have been our ticket to later awesomeness. It could have also been that both our group and he were grooving like you wouldn’t believe.
The show was outstanding S1Ws were there stepping in their military gear, Professor Griff had no idea what he was doing there and couldn’t remember his verses but he was cool. Flavor called people out for booing him when he thanked the crowd for making him the #1 reality TV star of all time, “What are you a bunch of ghosts? Booo booo. Why don’t you be proud for a mother fucker?” He had a point. Then he tried to kill us and I wanted to boo his ass too. This fool had the idea to come up right on the other side of the rail to touch the fans. This means we were pressed into the rail and pushed all around. Monica and I threw elbows like crazy yelling at people to back the fuck up. After it calmed a little Monica pulled out her keys, to which Terrence replied “Come on now”. She didn’t have to use them. I was left with a bruise on my arm. Stupid Flavor Flav.
After finishing up the whole album Chuck D was like, “So we didn’t stop with that…we then did this…” and launched into Welcome to the Terrordome HELLS YEAH. He continued with other hits; Shut 'Em Down, He Got Game, 911 Is A Joke,Harder Than You Think, Can't Truss It, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, and Fight The Power to close it out. Freaking awesome. Home, to bed, and more for the next day...
Friday-
My one and only reason for being there on Friday was to see Public Enemy perform “It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back”. Monica was also happy to hear Sebadoh play “Bubble and Scrape” and, although I listened to it a few times and thought it was swell I didn’t much care. Public Enemy was what’s up. We arrived at about 6something (they went on at 8) and were able to walk right up to front and slightly (and I mean slightly) off center to chill and wait. We were able to hear Mission of Burma play some of “Vs.”, which was okay. Sebadoh sounded good, until The Bomb Squad decided to tune up during the acoustic part of the set.
Let me just say that the first note from the Bomb Squad reverberated my spleen. We all looked at each other and were like…”uh…earplugs?” We did manage to secure a pair from some security guards and covered them with some torn up medical gown or something of the like that our new friend Hilarie game us. The Bomb Squad didn’t seem to notice that Sebadoh was still playing and they started the show, they had to stop. This caused the more rude and jerky members of the audience to chant, “Sebadoh sucks” repeatedly, which is not true.
Let me just say that many of the “fans” who were there didn’t care dick about PE, they just wanted to see some Flavor Flav, which is bogus cause Chuck D is the man. There were some real fans there though. These dudes to the right of us were like, “man, I remember when this came out, I was in eighth grade and I thought, man, Black people really hate us…and they have a reason!” Monica and I burst into laughter. Another dude said, “It looks like hot topic exploded into a thrift store in here,” and I told him that was the funniest thing I had ever heard. He looked at me and Monica and didn’t reply…maybe he thought we were too thrift store.
As start time neared these same loser fans made the most horrible siren noises ever to signal the start of the album. I wanted to kill them. When the real siren noises came on I forgot about it, cause it was about to be AWESOME. It was around the beginning of the show that security guard James was replaced with Terrence, the most awesome security guard ever. Flavor forgot to come on stage for Bring The Noise, which was pretty silly. He was dealing with his family, who were a bunch of adorable kids who danced like madmen the whole show. We loved them. Then Terrence had Monica take some pictures and video on his phone, which may have been our ticket to later awesomeness. It could have also been that both our group and he were grooving like you wouldn’t believe.
The show was outstanding S1Ws were there stepping in their military gear, Professor Griff had no idea what he was doing there and couldn’t remember his verses but he was cool. Flavor called people out for booing him when he thanked the crowd for making him the #1 reality TV star of all time, “What are you a bunch of ghosts? Booo booo. Why don’t you be proud for a mother fucker?” He had a point. Then he tried to kill us and I wanted to boo his ass too. This fool had the idea to come up right on the other side of the rail to touch the fans. This means we were pressed into the rail and pushed all around. Monica and I threw elbows like crazy yelling at people to back the fuck up. After it calmed a little Monica pulled out her keys, to which Terrence replied “Come on now”. She didn’t have to use them. I was left with a bruise on my arm. Stupid Flavor Flav.
After finishing up the whole album Chuck D was like, “So we didn’t stop with that…we then did this…” and launched into Welcome to the Terrordome HELLS YEAH. He continued with other hits; Shut 'Em Down, He Got Game, 911 Is A Joke,Harder Than You Think, Can't Truss It, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, and Fight The Power to close it out. Freaking awesome. Home, to bed, and more for the next day...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
ITS ONLY TUESDAY AND I'M ALL ABOUT THE WEEKEND
I haven’t had much to say at all lately. Things have been pretty good though. I watched the first season of Mad Men so I’ll be all ready to go come season two. I seriously think that might be the best show that is currently on television. I’m not at all mad at Weeds either. That show is also pretty freaking good.
I’ve been spending a lot of time working on an absolutely impossible jigsaw puzzle. I’m at the point where I feel really excited about every piece that goes in. I only have the middle left but it consists of a bunch of snow covered pine trees. All the pieces are starting to look the same. When the sky is the easy part you know you have a hard puzzle on your hands. The pieces also seem to fit together very well even when they are wrong. I don’t think that is at all fair. If two pieces have matching patterns and fit together they should be the correct pieces. Not always the case with this stupid puzzle.
I don’t know why I like puzzles. I was talking to Friend last night and she was saying how they are completely frustrating and unrewarding. I have to agree with her. I don’t feel all that much satisfaction when I finish one. It’s just done. When I was a kid there were a few puzzles I would do over and over and time myself to see how fast I could get them done. Well, at least one. It was round and had a unicorn on it. It was pretty. I liked that puzzle a lot. I think it may be at fault for me believing that I like puzzles.
This weekend is the Pitchfork Music Festival. I am incredibly excited about going. Monica and I planned out our days pretty well. I think we are actually all set. Schedule is as follows
Friday night three bands will be playing full albums. I don’t know if we’ll get there in time for Mission of Burma playing Vs cause they start at 6. We’ll be there for Sebadoh Bubble and Scrape and Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. It promises to be pretty awesome.
Saturday we have to be there bright and early at 1:25 for A Hack & A Handsaw followed by Icy Demons and Fuck Buttons. We will then switch stages for Vampire Weekend, !!!, Jarvis Cocker, and Animal Collective. It will be a seriously rocking day.
Sunday we don’t have to be there until 3pm for The Apples in Stereo, probably the band I am most excited about seeing. Then M. Ward, Dinosaur Jr, and Spoon. We’ll possibly see some other stuff in there and we’ll eat some snacks while trying to avoid using the port o lets. It will be a good weekend. Luckily I have Monday off work and Tuesday is our team bonding day. It will be a good week I think. Reviews to come.
And songs to be revealed
1. Well its hard enough to get there/ On your own/ And it’s always time to pay the rent/ When you’re home. The Worst trip, Dr. Dog. (BOO MONICA BOO)
2. Are you afraid to go outside/ Are you afraid of what you might find/ baby girl, I understand it/ I seen it too and I don’t recommend it. I’m with You, The Ponys
3.Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ and I want it to be. All in Your Mind, Beck
4. Around the world/ Around the world/ Around the world/ Around the world. Around the World, Daft Punk. Identified by Brooke
5. And she was lying in the grass/ And she could hear the highway breathing/ And she could see a nearby factory/ She's making sure she isn't dreaming. And She Was, Talking Heads. Identified by Brooke.
I’ve been spending a lot of time working on an absolutely impossible jigsaw puzzle. I’m at the point where I feel really excited about every piece that goes in. I only have the middle left but it consists of a bunch of snow covered pine trees. All the pieces are starting to look the same. When the sky is the easy part you know you have a hard puzzle on your hands. The pieces also seem to fit together very well even when they are wrong. I don’t think that is at all fair. If two pieces have matching patterns and fit together they should be the correct pieces. Not always the case with this stupid puzzle.
I don’t know why I like puzzles. I was talking to Friend last night and she was saying how they are completely frustrating and unrewarding. I have to agree with her. I don’t feel all that much satisfaction when I finish one. It’s just done. When I was a kid there were a few puzzles I would do over and over and time myself to see how fast I could get them done. Well, at least one. It was round and had a unicorn on it. It was pretty. I liked that puzzle a lot. I think it may be at fault for me believing that I like puzzles.
This weekend is the Pitchfork Music Festival. I am incredibly excited about going. Monica and I planned out our days pretty well. I think we are actually all set. Schedule is as follows
Friday night three bands will be playing full albums. I don’t know if we’ll get there in time for Mission of Burma playing Vs cause they start at 6. We’ll be there for Sebadoh Bubble and Scrape and Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. It promises to be pretty awesome.
Saturday we have to be there bright and early at 1:25 for A Hack & A Handsaw followed by Icy Demons and Fuck Buttons. We will then switch stages for Vampire Weekend, !!!, Jarvis Cocker, and Animal Collective. It will be a seriously rocking day.
Sunday we don’t have to be there until 3pm for The Apples in Stereo, probably the band I am most excited about seeing. Then M. Ward, Dinosaur Jr, and Spoon. We’ll possibly see some other stuff in there and we’ll eat some snacks while trying to avoid using the port o lets. It will be a good weekend. Luckily I have Monday off work and Tuesday is our team bonding day. It will be a good week I think. Reviews to come.
And songs to be revealed
1. Well its hard enough to get there/ On your own/ And it’s always time to pay the rent/ When you’re home. The Worst trip, Dr. Dog. (BOO MONICA BOO)
2. Are you afraid to go outside/ Are you afraid of what you might find/ baby girl, I understand it/ I seen it too and I don’t recommend it. I’m with You, The Ponys
3.Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ and I want it to be. All in Your Mind, Beck
4. Around the world/ Around the world/ Around the world/ Around the world. Around the World, Daft Punk. Identified by Brooke
5. And she was lying in the grass/ And she could hear the highway breathing/ And she could see a nearby factory/ She's making sure she isn't dreaming. And She Was, Talking Heads. Identified by Brooke.
Monday, June 30, 2008
WEDDING CRASHERS
On Friday I felt horrible so I slept and slept and slept. I thought my allergies had gone insane but after I woke up this morning lying on a big old damp pillow I realized my fever had broken. What fever was my initial question but then I realized it was the fever that the night before I had dismissed as some warmth from a few beers. I feel much better now.
I thought I felt much better Saturday night when I attempted to attend a going away party for this dude and his lady. I made it to the spot just fine and was having a fine time discussing the first CDs we ever owned (one of this dudes was the score from Terminator 2, hence me calling him a dude and not putting him out there for all to mock. Yes I said score, not soundtrack, score.), mine was He’s The DJ I’m The Rapper, which is a fine album to this day. Chanda mentioned that she was hungry and as I hadn’t eaten in a good 7 hours I thought going with her to procure some snacks might be fun. And it was.
We went to this spot called El Cid and I got some cactus and cheese tamales. MMM. So rare to score a vegetarian tamale. While eating Chanda and I noticed that we have the same phone. We thought that was cool. We also selected the same blue patterned background for our screen. Chanda mentioned how funny it would be if we had the same ring so she called me…and immediately burst out laughing. I called her and laughed as well, it really was the best ring available. My phone does have a Lewis News ’08 sticker on it and hers does not but it was still pretty awesome.
As we are walking back to the bar we happen upon a group of dudes. They start talking, we talk back, I wanted to keep walking because I think random strangers are…strange but Chanda was really chatting it up so I rolled with it. Eventually they mention that they are at a wedding reception and invite us to come up. I would have just left but Chanda, being much smarter than me, said we would go in. It was AWESOME. Our friends were a bunch of West Indian Hindi guys and the bride’s family was from some Latin country that I can’t recall so the music was a mix of like reggaeton and bollywood. As soon as we got inside we were ushered into a conga line. We also learned how to dance to the bollywood type music.
1. Put one hand up, palm to the sky, as if you were holding a plate
2. Put your other hand up and screw in a light bulb
3. Shrug shoulders while holding the plate and turning the light bulb
Best. Dance. Ever.
If you don't want to screw in the lightbulb, twirling a napkin also works. The plate must remain in place.
We got introduced to everyone; cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, the groom and were welcomed pretty openly despite our obvious lack of knowledge of anyone and not particularly festive dress. As usual I was in a skirt (but not a fancy one) and Chanda had on jeans (but heels). At one point Monica stopped in to bring Chanda her camera and marveled at all the fun we were obviously having. Although we were asked to go to the after party we had to decline. It was far and we did have prior obligations. But we got a greap group photo!
Sadly, as soon as I got back to the bar the people I was going to share a cab home with were ready to go so I really didn’t do a very good job of going to a good bye party but so it goes. Instead I crashed my first wedding and had an excellent story to tell.
1. She says my ass hurts when I sit down/ She says my feet hurt when I’m standing around/ I think my body is as restless as my mind and I don’t think I can roll with it this time. Roll With It, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke
2. I can’t believe that it’s real/ the way that you make me feel/ A burning deep down inside/ A love that I can not hide. Here I Am (Come and Take Me), Al Green. Identified by Brooke.
3. Well its hard enough to get there/ On your own/ And it’s always time to pay the rent/ When you’re home
4. Are you afraid to go outside/ Are you afraid of what you might find/ baby girl, I understand it/ I seen it too and I don’t recommend it
5.Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ and I want it to be
I thought I felt much better Saturday night when I attempted to attend a going away party for this dude and his lady. I made it to the spot just fine and was having a fine time discussing the first CDs we ever owned (one of this dudes was the score from Terminator 2, hence me calling him a dude and not putting him out there for all to mock. Yes I said score, not soundtrack, score.), mine was He’s The DJ I’m The Rapper, which is a fine album to this day. Chanda mentioned that she was hungry and as I hadn’t eaten in a good 7 hours I thought going with her to procure some snacks might be fun. And it was.
We went to this spot called El Cid and I got some cactus and cheese tamales. MMM. So rare to score a vegetarian tamale. While eating Chanda and I noticed that we have the same phone. We thought that was cool. We also selected the same blue patterned background for our screen. Chanda mentioned how funny it would be if we had the same ring so she called me…and immediately burst out laughing. I called her and laughed as well, it really was the best ring available. My phone does have a Lewis News ’08 sticker on it and hers does not but it was still pretty awesome.
As we are walking back to the bar we happen upon a group of dudes. They start talking, we talk back, I wanted to keep walking because I think random strangers are…strange but Chanda was really chatting it up so I rolled with it. Eventually they mention that they are at a wedding reception and invite us to come up. I would have just left but Chanda, being much smarter than me, said we would go in. It was AWESOME. Our friends were a bunch of West Indian Hindi guys and the bride’s family was from some Latin country that I can’t recall so the music was a mix of like reggaeton and bollywood. As soon as we got inside we were ushered into a conga line. We also learned how to dance to the bollywood type music.
1. Put one hand up, palm to the sky, as if you were holding a plate
2. Put your other hand up and screw in a light bulb
3. Shrug shoulders while holding the plate and turning the light bulb
Best. Dance. Ever.
If you don't want to screw in the lightbulb, twirling a napkin also works. The plate must remain in place.
We got introduced to everyone; cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, the groom and were welcomed pretty openly despite our obvious lack of knowledge of anyone and not particularly festive dress. As usual I was in a skirt (but not a fancy one) and Chanda had on jeans (but heels). At one point Monica stopped in to bring Chanda her camera and marveled at all the fun we were obviously having. Although we were asked to go to the after party we had to decline. It was far and we did have prior obligations. But we got a greap group photo!
Sadly, as soon as I got back to the bar the people I was going to share a cab home with were ready to go so I really didn’t do a very good job of going to a good bye party but so it goes. Instead I crashed my first wedding and had an excellent story to tell.
1. She says my ass hurts when I sit down/ She says my feet hurt when I’m standing around/ I think my body is as restless as my mind and I don’t think I can roll with it this time. Roll With It, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke
2. I can’t believe that it’s real/ the way that you make me feel/ A burning deep down inside/ A love that I can not hide. Here I Am (Come and Take Me), Al Green. Identified by Brooke.
3. Well its hard enough to get there/ On your own/ And it’s always time to pay the rent/ When you’re home
4. Are you afraid to go outside/ Are you afraid of what you might find/ baby girl, I understand it/ I seen it too and I don’t recommend it
5.Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ Well it’s all in your mind/ It’s all in your mind/ and I want it to be
Thursday, June 26, 2008
BLOGGING ABOUT BLOGGING
So I haven’t had much to blog about in a little while and that is pretty okay with me. I just haven’t been felling it. I just decided that when something came to me I would write about it and when nothing did I wouldn’t force it. Plus, it’s the summer and while that should mean that I have tons to say about all the hot ass messes in Chicago that think they are doing something cute when they walk out of the house in the morning it doesn’t. Maybe I would have people to comment on if I carried a camera with me all the time, or maybe if I had a USB cable so I could plug my camera into a computer…maybe.
My sister has started to beat me at wordtwist. I find this slightly depressing. I think I may have to step up my game, maybe try to type properly for once or practice a ton. I don’t like my sister to beat me at things. I don’t care if my friends do but they aren’t my sister. Actually, I am just glad that I have another challenging person to play with. It would be better if I won more than I have been though.
Anyway, the thing that got me thinking I needed to blog was my blog. I opened my email this morning and got a comment from someone named Stephen saying I blogged about him and I was pretty confused because I don’t know anyone named Stephen. Then, I went to the post and it was the one about that VH1 show “The Pickup Artist” and Stephen was the guy Spoon that I thought was pretty awesome and was sad to see leave the show cause he was a pretty chill dude. This also means that he was googling himself, which shows me that he is a very normal guy. He also has the prettiest dog ever. Monica, go to his myspace page and look at his dog. It will make you die. Tony wondered that if Spoon invited me to be his myspace friend that he was maybe going to try his Pickup Artist skills on me. I kind of doubt it...dude has hella myspace friends.
That is all. I will reveal songs. I have no idea how long they have been there but I suppose it is long enough. Crap, I can’t find my list. I’ll do my best.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this. Something I’m too tired to look up by Man Man.
2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run. Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself, Sly and the Family stone
3. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day. Ribbons in the Sky, Stevie Wonder
4. I love the time and in between/ The calm inside me/ In the space where I can breathe/ I believe there is a distance I have wandered to touch upon the years of/ Reaching out and reaching in. Something off Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLaughlin.
My sister has started to beat me at wordtwist. I find this slightly depressing. I think I may have to step up my game, maybe try to type properly for once or practice a ton. I don’t like my sister to beat me at things. I don’t care if my friends do but they aren’t my sister. Actually, I am just glad that I have another challenging person to play with. It would be better if I won more than I have been though.
Anyway, the thing that got me thinking I needed to blog was my blog. I opened my email this morning and got a comment from someone named Stephen saying I blogged about him and I was pretty confused because I don’t know anyone named Stephen. Then, I went to the post and it was the one about that VH1 show “The Pickup Artist” and Stephen was the guy Spoon that I thought was pretty awesome and was sad to see leave the show cause he was a pretty chill dude. This also means that he was googling himself, which shows me that he is a very normal guy. He also has the prettiest dog ever. Monica, go to his myspace page and look at his dog. It will make you die. Tony wondered that if Spoon invited me to be his myspace friend that he was maybe going to try his Pickup Artist skills on me. I kind of doubt it...dude has hella myspace friends.
That is all. I will reveal songs. I have no idea how long they have been there but I suppose it is long enough. Crap, I can’t find my list. I’ll do my best.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this. Something I’m too tired to look up by Man Man.
2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run. Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself, Sly and the Family stone
3. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day. Ribbons in the Sky, Stevie Wonder
4. I love the time and in between/ The calm inside me/ In the space where I can breathe/ I believe there is a distance I have wandered to touch upon the years of/ Reaching out and reaching in. Something off Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLaughlin.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
ON CHEATING AND CELEBRATION
Happy Juneteenth Folks! If you don’t know what that means look it up, learn a little something. On this glorious day I will be celebrating by playing video games and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure my actions will have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday itself but it sure will feel good doing them.
Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.
The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.
The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.
Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this
2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run
3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.
4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day
5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.
Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.
The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.
The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.
Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this
2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run
3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.
4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day
5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.
Monday, June 16, 2008
SADNESS REDEEMED
The weekend started off wonderfully. I went out for a quick drink with some co-workers, went on a nice walk, and had my Mom come pick me up so we could watch some basketball. I wasn’t all that excited about the basketball but my folks love the NBA and Kevin Garnett in particular. Even though he is no longer a MN player, he remains near and dear to their hearts. We watched the Celtics getting their butts kicked and then stopped and watched Ratatouille instead. The Celtics ended up pulling it out though and we saw some post-game coverage.
I had a day off on Friday and was happily lounging around my apartment when I turned on the computer and saw that Tim Russert had died. I’m not one to watch many politically focused talk shows, or any talk shows for that matter. However, if I had to choose three to watch it would have been; Charlie Rose, Inside the Actors Studio, and Meet the Press.
I never planned to see Charlie Rose, sometimes nothing else would be on and it was always a good standby. I also never planned to see Inside the Actors Studio but I would often notice it was on and see someone I wouldn’t mind hearing an interview with. Meet The Press was different. I certainly didn’t always plan to watch it and I often didn’t remember that it was on, however, if there had been some particularly juicy happenings during the week I would occasionally look forward to hearing what Russert had to say about it. I found him to be very fair, and rather funny. He was someone who I would love to just sit down with and hear him tell stories. I wouldn’t have thought that his death would make me as sad as it did but there really isn’t anyone out there that does what he did, or at least nowhere near as well. I’ll miss the guy.
Mom and I took a nice trip to Target and then we picked up Monica to eat at Irizu, a Costa Rican place. Monica made us try Oatmeal Shakes and I was quite hesitant but then very pleased. They tasted like cookie dough. The food was none to shabby either. On Saturday morning I awoke and called Mom to have her come and pick me up. When she arrived at the door I opened it only to find Dad heading up the stairs. The sun of a gun surprised me! It was wonderful to see him and we proceeded to have a fantastic weekend together. Sat night Tony, the parents, and I went for dinner at a Pakistani restaurant. I forgot it was Pakistani and thought it was Indian, because the food is so similar it was easy to do. The food was delicious but they didn’t have appetizers on the menu and that bummed me out. Also I thought I was ordering chick peas and I got lentils. Not that it really mattered because the food was very good and I like lentils. I think their mango lassi and naan were some of the best I have ever had. Mom took pictures of Tony and I that she must send to me because we have none and they are the best to date I think (hint hint). We came home and watched Sunshine, which is like a faster version of 2001 with a different plot and Cillian Murphy. It was enjoyable. Anything with Cillian Murphy is enjoyable. After my folks left Tony and I watched the new Rambo movie on Blu-ray. Can I just say BEST EXPLODING PEOPLE EVER! If you like to see people explode the last 30 minutes of this movie is a must see and the rest won’t make you mad either. If you like plot…maybe not your thing.
On Sunday I showed Dad the last 30 minutes of Rambo because I know he likes exploding people and we tried the new Uncommon Ground by my apartment for brunch and were incredibly happy with our decision. Best Sweet Potato Fries I have ever had! The chili was okay but I’ll order something else next time. Then we went on a shopping extravaganza that completely tired me out. We stopped at the cheesecake factory for a snack and ended up with a meal. The Fried Macaroni and Cheese was very tasty but I could have used a little more macaroni in mine. Not that I’m complaining. Ever since I saw Alton Brown pull that treat of death off I wanted to try some. The Avocado Eggrolls were delicious and I was a little iffy on warm avocado. It wasn’t too warm though. We also got some fire roasted artichokes and they were quite good but I wasn’t incredibly happy with either of the dipping sauces they came with. We got cheesecake to go cause we were so full and I still have the better part of my piece in the fridge at home. MMMM Key Lime Cheesecake. I eat a lot when my parents are in town. We watched the game Sunday night and it was a pretty good battle but unfortunately the Celtics couldn’t pull it out. I almost want to watch other games in the series now because they got me into it…almost.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this
2. You always felt like Suede/ there are days I feel your twin/ Peekaboo/ Hiding underneath your skin. Suede, Tori Amos. Identified by Brooke.
3. I’m a pixie/ I’m a paper doll. I’m a cartoon/ I’m a chipper cheerful free for all and I light up a room. Pixie, Ani DiFranco, Identified by Brooke.
4. Well there ain’t no/ Ain't no telling baby/ when you will see me again/ But I pray it will be tomorrow. Ain't No telling, Jimi Hendrix. Identified by Brooke.
5. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run
I had a day off on Friday and was happily lounging around my apartment when I turned on the computer and saw that Tim Russert had died. I’m not one to watch many politically focused talk shows, or any talk shows for that matter. However, if I had to choose three to watch it would have been; Charlie Rose, Inside the Actors Studio, and Meet the Press.
I never planned to see Charlie Rose, sometimes nothing else would be on and it was always a good standby. I also never planned to see Inside the Actors Studio but I would often notice it was on and see someone I wouldn’t mind hearing an interview with. Meet The Press was different. I certainly didn’t always plan to watch it and I often didn’t remember that it was on, however, if there had been some particularly juicy happenings during the week I would occasionally look forward to hearing what Russert had to say about it. I found him to be very fair, and rather funny. He was someone who I would love to just sit down with and hear him tell stories. I wouldn’t have thought that his death would make me as sad as it did but there really isn’t anyone out there that does what he did, or at least nowhere near as well. I’ll miss the guy.
Mom and I took a nice trip to Target and then we picked up Monica to eat at Irizu, a Costa Rican place. Monica made us try Oatmeal Shakes and I was quite hesitant but then very pleased. They tasted like cookie dough. The food was none to shabby either. On Saturday morning I awoke and called Mom to have her come and pick me up. When she arrived at the door I opened it only to find Dad heading up the stairs. The sun of a gun surprised me! It was wonderful to see him and we proceeded to have a fantastic weekend together. Sat night Tony, the parents, and I went for dinner at a Pakistani restaurant. I forgot it was Pakistani and thought it was Indian, because the food is so similar it was easy to do. The food was delicious but they didn’t have appetizers on the menu and that bummed me out. Also I thought I was ordering chick peas and I got lentils. Not that it really mattered because the food was very good and I like lentils. I think their mango lassi and naan were some of the best I have ever had. Mom took pictures of Tony and I that she must send to me because we have none and they are the best to date I think (hint hint). We came home and watched Sunshine, which is like a faster version of 2001 with a different plot and Cillian Murphy. It was enjoyable. Anything with Cillian Murphy is enjoyable. After my folks left Tony and I watched the new Rambo movie on Blu-ray. Can I just say BEST EXPLODING PEOPLE EVER! If you like to see people explode the last 30 minutes of this movie is a must see and the rest won’t make you mad either. If you like plot…maybe not your thing.
On Sunday I showed Dad the last 30 minutes of Rambo because I know he likes exploding people and we tried the new Uncommon Ground by my apartment for brunch and were incredibly happy with our decision. Best Sweet Potato Fries I have ever had! The chili was okay but I’ll order something else next time. Then we went on a shopping extravaganza that completely tired me out. We stopped at the cheesecake factory for a snack and ended up with a meal. The Fried Macaroni and Cheese was very tasty but I could have used a little more macaroni in mine. Not that I’m complaining. Ever since I saw Alton Brown pull that treat of death off I wanted to try some. The Avocado Eggrolls were delicious and I was a little iffy on warm avocado. It wasn’t too warm though. We also got some fire roasted artichokes and they were quite good but I wasn’t incredibly happy with either of the dipping sauces they came with. We got cheesecake to go cause we were so full and I still have the better part of my piece in the fridge at home. MMMM Key Lime Cheesecake. I eat a lot when my parents are in town. We watched the game Sunday night and it was a pretty good battle but unfortunately the Celtics couldn’t pull it out. I almost want to watch other games in the series now because they got me into it…almost.
1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this
2. You always felt like Suede/ there are days I feel your twin/ Peekaboo/ Hiding underneath your skin. Suede, Tori Amos. Identified by Brooke.
3. I’m a pixie/ I’m a paper doll. I’m a cartoon/ I’m a chipper cheerful free for all and I light up a room. Pixie, Ani DiFranco, Identified by Brooke.
4. Well there ain’t no/ Ain't no telling baby/ when you will see me again/ But I pray it will be tomorrow. Ain't No telling, Jimi Hendrix. Identified by Brooke.
5. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run
Monday, June 09, 2008
WEEKEND RECAP STUFFS
This weekend I went to a silly party where we dressed as people from the 80s and tried to solve a murder mystery. It was a rockin’ good time. The murder was apparently solved within the first minute or so but wasn’t divulged so that people could continue to play. Some people were in possession of clues and some people had to do dares to get clues. This was a bad idea because people I know are evil.
I dared Patrick to give Monica a wet willie because it would completely gross her out and was an inside joke.
Patrick dared Monica to give me a wedgie, which was completely awful and also had to be done repeatedly because Patrick just wouldn’t look. At least one of them was real.
I dared Patrick to run around the table and go “Woo Woo”
Patrick dared Monica to walk around with a beat box saying “I am a chicken”
I think the point was to dare people you didn’t know to do stuff but being painfully introverted that wasn’t going to happen. It was still a fun party. So fun that I slept until 5pm the next day because every time I woke up before then I decided that it was too unpleasant to be alive.
Tony and I have decided that our television is too big to watch some regular TV program on. Certain channels are fine, Top Chef looks great. However, some programs don’t have particularly good resolution. This makes them look extra horrible on our very large TV with excellent resolution. Most of the things that I really enjoy watching look good though so I don’t have too much to complain about. Since Food Network, HGTV, and most premium channels have HD offerings I’m pretty good. Last night we watched Billy Madison on demand in HD and seeing Adam Sandler paddling around on his floating pool chair was more hilarious than ever before. I thought he was going to paddle right onto our couch. I still can’t figure out why the 120hz doesn’t seem to be on though.
Mom is coming tomorrow and I am incredibly excited. However, my house is not ready for her. We cleaned the living room yesterday but the front room is a disaster and the kitchen and bathroom could use some serious work. I know what I’m doing tonight. She graciously offered not to come inside until it was clean but I would like her to be able to visit the inside sooner rather than later. I have to make her brussel sprouts.
1. We’re in the movies/ Watching some people move their mouths/ And a religious figure/ Whose not really a religious figure/ Cause he’s an actor. The Opera House, Olivia Tremor Control
2. It never really mattered too much to me/ That I was just too damn old to MC/ All that really mattered is if your rhymes was ill/ Girl that’s all that really mattered to me. Great Day, Madvillian
3. Tulip Baroo/ Tulip Baroo/ The magnetic roller-skater wears a bonnet of blue/ Bonnet of blue. Tulip Baroo, of Montreal
5. Girlfriend/ I’m gonna tell your boyfriend/ Yeah/ Tell him/ Exactly what we’re doing/ Yeah. Girlfriend, Michael Jackson
I dared Patrick to give Monica a wet willie because it would completely gross her out and was an inside joke.
Patrick dared Monica to give me a wedgie, which was completely awful and also had to be done repeatedly because Patrick just wouldn’t look. At least one of them was real.
I dared Patrick to run around the table and go “Woo Woo”
Patrick dared Monica to walk around with a beat box saying “I am a chicken”
I think the point was to dare people you didn’t know to do stuff but being painfully introverted that wasn’t going to happen. It was still a fun party. So fun that I slept until 5pm the next day because every time I woke up before then I decided that it was too unpleasant to be alive.
Tony and I have decided that our television is too big to watch some regular TV program on. Certain channels are fine, Top Chef looks great. However, some programs don’t have particularly good resolution. This makes them look extra horrible on our very large TV with excellent resolution. Most of the things that I really enjoy watching look good though so I don’t have too much to complain about. Since Food Network, HGTV, and most premium channels have HD offerings I’m pretty good. Last night we watched Billy Madison on demand in HD and seeing Adam Sandler paddling around on his floating pool chair was more hilarious than ever before. I thought he was going to paddle right onto our couch. I still can’t figure out why the 120hz doesn’t seem to be on though.
Mom is coming tomorrow and I am incredibly excited. However, my house is not ready for her. We cleaned the living room yesterday but the front room is a disaster and the kitchen and bathroom could use some serious work. I know what I’m doing tonight. She graciously offered not to come inside until it was clean but I would like her to be able to visit the inside sooner rather than later. I have to make her brussel sprouts.
1. We’re in the movies/ Watching some people move their mouths/ And a religious figure/ Whose not really a religious figure/ Cause he’s an actor. The Opera House, Olivia Tremor Control
2. It never really mattered too much to me/ That I was just too damn old to MC/ All that really mattered is if your rhymes was ill/ Girl that’s all that really mattered to me. Great Day, Madvillian
3. Tulip Baroo/ Tulip Baroo/ The magnetic roller-skater wears a bonnet of blue/ Bonnet of blue. Tulip Baroo, of Montreal
5. Girlfriend/ I’m gonna tell your boyfriend/ Yeah/ Tell him/ Exactly what we’re doing/ Yeah. Girlfriend, Michael Jackson
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
THE BEST THING ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS
I haven’t had much to say lately, which is strange because I feel that I have been very busy. I guess I have enjoyed playing word games on Facebook more than blogging lately. Therefore, during my lunches I sit down to have a quick game of something and then notice an hour has passed and I have no time to write anything. Again, not that anything interesting would be said. Maybe I should change my blog name back to “I Have Nothing Interesting To Say: Read Me”.
I had a wonderful time in Minneapolis, as I always do. It is truly a great city. On Thursday I went out for Thai food with Roxanne, my oldest friend. She isn’t the oldest of my friends but I have known her since I was about 6mo old so she is really more like family than friend. I mean I’ve known her longer than my sister. It is amazing that we still enjoy each others company as much as we do. Anyway, the point of my story was that we went out for Thai food and I got to eat mock duck. I don’t know what it is about Minneapolis that every Thai and Vietnamese place has mock duck on the menu but it is a wonderful thing. Maybe there is a mock duck factory in the twin cities somewhere that I have never heard of. What I wouldn’t do to get some proper mock duck here in Chicago. Sure my family lives in Minneapolis. Sure I love the quiet vibe of an ever more cosmopolitan city. Sure I get to see old friends who mean the world to me. Regardless, mock duck is quite possibly the best thing in Minneapolis.
Of course I have no idea if the mock duck tastes anything like real duck but I do know that it tastes delicious. It’s moist and firm and chewy all at the same time. It has a fantastic flavor and it makes me incredibly happy. I ordered mock duck pad thai at a level five spicy out of five and didn’t even need to put more hot sauce on it, although I could have. It was nice and red with spice when it arrived on my plate. It even had big tofu pieces along with the mock duck! Usually they just put some little crap pieces in there if it isn't your main "meat". I have to do some research and find out where I can get some of this wonderful product and make my own mock ducky dishes. I actually just did a google search for "mock duck chicago" and found a restaurant that serves the stuff. Dharma Garden here I come. I should also mention that the first entry on google was from someone who went to college in Minneapolis and was lamenting the mockducklessness of Chicago.
On Friday the entire family (parents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and grandparents) went for dinner at Cristos, a Greek restaurant. The food there was incredibly delicious as well. I ordered dessert, which I never do, and tasted a little piece of heaven called milopita. This thing was filo dough wrapped around baked apples in a ricotta/cream cheese mixture. There was some kind of sweet wonderful sauce all around it. I won’t want another one for about five years because it was incredibly rich but it was certainly something wonderful to store in the back of my, “delicious things to eat” corner of my mind.
I also saw two movies, Iron Man and Prince Caspian, which is insane because I never go out to the movies. It was great fun even though I took a benadryl, which never make me sleepy but miraculously did that day, before going to see Iron Man and dosed a little bit. Oh well, just gives me more reason to see it again. I now have to reread Prince Caspian because, while I think it was similar to the book, if it didn’t follow the story closely it was a total Two Towers rip off. Then again, the first one was very true to the story so I’m not really sure why it wouldn’t be. If anyone remembers and will let me know so that I can continue to read Atlas Shrugged (which I am enjoying immensely although not as much as The Fountainhead) and not have to bother with minor literary distractions. Then again, literary distractions can be cool as I just read a book called Running With Walker, which was a father’s memoir of taking care of his autistic son and was incredibly glad that I did.
Now for the song reveal
2. Now for all ya’ll who ain’t heard of me/ Mr. M-O-E the Barre Baby/ I’m a South Side living legend/ A third ward /bone hard/ Street veteran. Barre Baby, Big Moe.
5. They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within/ I’m coming now I’m coming to reward them. First We Take Manhattan, Leonard Cohen
I had a wonderful time in Minneapolis, as I always do. It is truly a great city. On Thursday I went out for Thai food with Roxanne, my oldest friend. She isn’t the oldest of my friends but I have known her since I was about 6mo old so she is really more like family than friend. I mean I’ve known her longer than my sister. It is amazing that we still enjoy each others company as much as we do. Anyway, the point of my story was that we went out for Thai food and I got to eat mock duck. I don’t know what it is about Minneapolis that every Thai and Vietnamese place has mock duck on the menu but it is a wonderful thing. Maybe there is a mock duck factory in the twin cities somewhere that I have never heard of. What I wouldn’t do to get some proper mock duck here in Chicago. Sure my family lives in Minneapolis. Sure I love the quiet vibe of an ever more cosmopolitan city. Sure I get to see old friends who mean the world to me. Regardless, mock duck is quite possibly the best thing in Minneapolis.
Of course I have no idea if the mock duck tastes anything like real duck but I do know that it tastes delicious. It’s moist and firm and chewy all at the same time. It has a fantastic flavor and it makes me incredibly happy. I ordered mock duck pad thai at a level five spicy out of five and didn’t even need to put more hot sauce on it, although I could have. It was nice and red with spice when it arrived on my plate. It even had big tofu pieces along with the mock duck! Usually they just put some little crap pieces in there if it isn't your main "meat". I have to do some research and find out where I can get some of this wonderful product and make my own mock ducky dishes. I actually just did a google search for "mock duck chicago" and found a restaurant that serves the stuff. Dharma Garden here I come. I should also mention that the first entry on google was from someone who went to college in Minneapolis and was lamenting the mockducklessness of Chicago.
On Friday the entire family (parents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and grandparents) went for dinner at Cristos, a Greek restaurant. The food there was incredibly delicious as well. I ordered dessert, which I never do, and tasted a little piece of heaven called milopita. This thing was filo dough wrapped around baked apples in a ricotta/cream cheese mixture. There was some kind of sweet wonderful sauce all around it. I won’t want another one for about five years because it was incredibly rich but it was certainly something wonderful to store in the back of my, “delicious things to eat” corner of my mind.
I also saw two movies, Iron Man and Prince Caspian, which is insane because I never go out to the movies. It was great fun even though I took a benadryl, which never make me sleepy but miraculously did that day, before going to see Iron Man and dosed a little bit. Oh well, just gives me more reason to see it again. I now have to reread Prince Caspian because, while I think it was similar to the book, if it didn’t follow the story closely it was a total Two Towers rip off. Then again, the first one was very true to the story so I’m not really sure why it wouldn’t be. If anyone remembers and will let me know so that I can continue to read Atlas Shrugged (which I am enjoying immensely although not as much as The Fountainhead) and not have to bother with minor literary distractions. Then again, literary distractions can be cool as I just read a book called Running With Walker, which was a father’s memoir of taking care of his autistic son and was incredibly glad that I did.
Now for the song reveal
2. Now for all ya’ll who ain’t heard of me/ Mr. M-O-E the Barre Baby/ I’m a South Side living legend/ A third ward /bone hard/ Street veteran. Barre Baby, Big Moe.
5. They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within/ I’m coming now I’m coming to reward them. First We Take Manhattan, Leonard Cohen
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
PACKIN MY BAGS GOING AWAY
Tomorrow I am getting on a plane and flying to Minneapolis. I hate the journey to the airport but I love when the doors to the plane close and we take off. I know I’ll be home soon.
This trip is a pretty big one. Mom is graduating with a Masters degree in something that I don’t understand and took her about three sentences to explain to me and I still don’t get it. I think it has something to do with education and community development. Needless to say, I am incredibly proud of her. If I recall correctly this is actually her first graduation. I could be wrong but I don’t think she walked in High School or for either one of her Bachelor’s degrees. This is a pretty big deal and I am so glad I get to be there.
I love Minneapolis. It’s a great time of year to be there. It would be better in about a month but this will do. The city is beautiful and I can’t help but smile as I drive around and see all the green and the blue. They weren’t kidding when they called Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes. Even though there is a big old lake on the East side of Chicago I don’t get the same watery satisfaction here that I do at home. It’s a serene place.
I’ll hang with the family, see some friends, and relax as much as possible. It should be a good couple days. Sometimes I wish that Minneapolis was as close as Evanston but most of the time I am glad of where it is because I can truly go away and still feel at home.
1. I know I should get next to you/ You’ve got a look that made me think you’re cool/ But it’s just sexual attraction/ Not something real so I’d rather keep wackin’. Why Bother, Weezer. Identified by Monica
2. Now for all ya’ll who ain’t heard of me/ Mr. M-O-E the Barre Baby/ I’m a South Side living legend/ A third ward /bone hard/ Street veteran
3. Oh Baby Baby how was I supposed to know/ That something wasn’t right here/ Oh Baby Baby I shouldn’t have let you go. Baby One More Time, Britney Spears. Identified by Brooke.
4. Make of our hands one hand/ Make of our hearts one heart/ Make of our vows one last vow/ Only death will part us now. One Hand One Heart, West Side Story. Identified by Mom.
5. They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within/ I’m coming now I’m coming to reward them
This trip is a pretty big one. Mom is graduating with a Masters degree in something that I don’t understand and took her about three sentences to explain to me and I still don’t get it. I think it has something to do with education and community development. Needless to say, I am incredibly proud of her. If I recall correctly this is actually her first graduation. I could be wrong but I don’t think she walked in High School or for either one of her Bachelor’s degrees. This is a pretty big deal and I am so glad I get to be there.
I love Minneapolis. It’s a great time of year to be there. It would be better in about a month but this will do. The city is beautiful and I can’t help but smile as I drive around and see all the green and the blue. They weren’t kidding when they called Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes. Even though there is a big old lake on the East side of Chicago I don’t get the same watery satisfaction here that I do at home. It’s a serene place.
I’ll hang with the family, see some friends, and relax as much as possible. It should be a good couple days. Sometimes I wish that Minneapolis was as close as Evanston but most of the time I am glad of where it is because I can truly go away and still feel at home.
1. I know I should get next to you/ You’ve got a look that made me think you’re cool/ But it’s just sexual attraction/ Not something real so I’d rather keep wackin’. Why Bother, Weezer. Identified by Monica
2. Now for all ya’ll who ain’t heard of me/ Mr. M-O-E the Barre Baby/ I’m a South Side living legend/ A third ward /bone hard/ Street veteran
3. Oh Baby Baby how was I supposed to know/ That something wasn’t right here/ Oh Baby Baby I shouldn’t have let you go. Baby One More Time, Britney Spears. Identified by Brooke.
4. Make of our hands one hand/ Make of our hearts one heart/ Make of our vows one last vow/ Only death will part us now. One Hand One Heart, West Side Story. Identified by Mom.
5. They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within/ I’m coming now I’m coming to reward them
Monday, May 05, 2008
LOOPTOPIA PART DEUX
On Friday, Monica and I decided to venture to the festivities that are called Looptopia on Friday night. After the debacle that was last year we didn’t hope for much. We scoured the activities and had a rather difficult time finding anything we were incredibly inspired to do. We decided to walk to Daley Plaza and figure it out more from there.
We sat by this sculpture thing that one of the creators described to us an an inefficient system. It was made up of three inflated beach ball type things that were slowly deflating. Atop said balloons sat a city and the whole contraption was hooked up to three stationary bikes. You had to pedal the bikes to keep the balls inflated or the city would fall. It was about cooperation. I think it was a metaphor for the entire evening.
While at the plaza it rained a little but not too much. We decided to head to the cultural center, a place of madness the year before, and check out this sketch comedy thing. One side was locked so we went to the other. Believe it or not there was a line to get in that wrapped around the building. AS IF!!! We decided to walk to some bars and see if old co-workers were hanging out.
We passed some people doing strange performance art type things in the windows of Macy’s and then heard a noise…it sounded like…Assholes! They were obnoxious, they were hollering, they were not the real Obnoxious Hollering Assholes but they were pretty cool. The group was about five people in orange jumpsuits making noise and marching down the street. Monica and I fell in line behind them and did little dances and went Woo! Eventually she busted out her kazoo and played along. I don’t think they even noticed. We followed them for about five blocks or so until they stopped. It was the best time of the evening.
We tried one bar and found no old co-workers. It started to rain a bit so we busted out my umbrella and started walking to the other bar. On the way we made up a new band. Monica is in the Assholes and I am not exactly in the Assholes but sometimes I make appearances. The Assholes do not have lyrics and I prefer bands that do. As the two of us have written awesome songs before, it is only fitting that we have a band that sings actual songs. Look for us, we’re called That One Band Right There. Forthcoming songs include; That One Song, That Rap Song, The Song that Goes Like That, and our soon to be smash hit single Insideoutafied. We thought about selling tapes out the back of our pockets but then realized it would be better to have people send us money and then we would email them mp3s of our songs. As soon as we get a closed door creative type song writing session scheduled it’s on. We may even cover Emo Boy, a wonderful song by our other band that used The Dead Milkmen’s “Punk Rock Girl” as inspiration. That One Band Right There is headed for stardom.
Anyway, our co-workers weren’t at the other bar either and it was raining like crazy so we went home. One of my co-workers said that Looptopia was rumored to be a roaring party and a smashing success. Maybe it was, but I missed it.
1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free. Horses in my Dreams, PJ Harvey
2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this. ShadowBox, The Ponys
3. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun. Slippery People, Talking Heads
4. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes. Eyes, Apollo Sunshine
We sat by this sculpture thing that one of the creators described to us an an inefficient system. It was made up of three inflated beach ball type things that were slowly deflating. Atop said balloons sat a city and the whole contraption was hooked up to three stationary bikes. You had to pedal the bikes to keep the balls inflated or the city would fall. It was about cooperation. I think it was a metaphor for the entire evening.
While at the plaza it rained a little but not too much. We decided to head to the cultural center, a place of madness the year before, and check out this sketch comedy thing. One side was locked so we went to the other. Believe it or not there was a line to get in that wrapped around the building. AS IF!!! We decided to walk to some bars and see if old co-workers were hanging out.
We passed some people doing strange performance art type things in the windows of Macy’s and then heard a noise…it sounded like…Assholes! They were obnoxious, they were hollering, they were not the real Obnoxious Hollering Assholes but they were pretty cool. The group was about five people in orange jumpsuits making noise and marching down the street. Monica and I fell in line behind them and did little dances and went Woo! Eventually she busted out her kazoo and played along. I don’t think they even noticed. We followed them for about five blocks or so until they stopped. It was the best time of the evening.
We tried one bar and found no old co-workers. It started to rain a bit so we busted out my umbrella and started walking to the other bar. On the way we made up a new band. Monica is in the Assholes and I am not exactly in the Assholes but sometimes I make appearances. The Assholes do not have lyrics and I prefer bands that do. As the two of us have written awesome songs before, it is only fitting that we have a band that sings actual songs. Look for us, we’re called That One Band Right There. Forthcoming songs include; That One Song, That Rap Song, The Song that Goes Like That, and our soon to be smash hit single Insideoutafied. We thought about selling tapes out the back of our pockets but then realized it would be better to have people send us money and then we would email them mp3s of our songs. As soon as we get a closed door creative type song writing session scheduled it’s on. We may even cover Emo Boy, a wonderful song by our other band that used The Dead Milkmen’s “Punk Rock Girl” as inspiration. That One Band Right There is headed for stardom.
Anyway, our co-workers weren’t at the other bar either and it was raining like crazy so we went home. One of my co-workers said that Looptopia was rumored to be a roaring party and a smashing success. Maybe it was, but I missed it.
1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free. Horses in my Dreams, PJ Harvey
2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this. ShadowBox, The Ponys
3. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun. Slippery People, Talking Heads
4. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes. Eyes, Apollo Sunshine
Monday, April 28, 2008
HOW STRANGE TIMES TURN OUT WELL
I had a most wondrous Friday night. I must admit it started off rather disappointing but it was all nice in the end. I met Monica and Jamie for a quick stop at “free happy hour” at Howl At The Moon. While there were free creepy nacho fixings, that were okay but if I opted not to get seconds when free food was involved they couldn’t have been that good. The free drinks actually cost $1 and I vowed not to drink one on principle. Monica and Jamie offered to get me drinks but I told them that it wouldn’t jive with my stand. There were some INTERESTING people there. The place was full of people in their 40s who were just having a swell old after work time and people in their 20s who were dressed like scandalous hot messes and couldn’t wait to get picked up by the first standard frat boy that offered to buy them a cosmo. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people who were wearing clothes that didn’t fit them, heals they couldn’t walk in, and thought they were doing their thing. What can I expect from a place that played dueling piano versions of Gin and Juice and that Soulja Boy mess?
After that we went and got tickets for Avenue Q!!!!! Hooray!!!! Although I don’t know the songs how can I not enjoy such gems as: What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?, Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, The Internet Is For Porn, and I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today? Then when you add on the fact that the cast is full of Muppets you realize that this must be the best play EVER.
Jamie and I headed back North so I could meet up with Dave and go to Cake Chicago, a live music review that takes place on the last Friday of the month at the Red Line Tap (behind the Heartland Café). I must admit that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. I tend not to like music I haven’t heard of and hate paying covers, even $5 for said unknown music.
The first act was spoken word, and I was certain I would be in for a long night. The second act was a guitar/harmonica playing lady who was pretty good. The third act was this lady named Ripley who organizes the event and was also pretty good. We ordered some Nachos & Guac from Heartland drank plenty of beers and I was feeling like my night was worth the $5.
It suddenly got better. The last band, The Gwen Mitchell Experiment, was amazingly outstanding. Dave and I have big old crushes on Gwen Mitchell. After the show Tina told Gwen and Gwen’s girlfriend that the gay boy and the straight girl were completely hot for her, which was a little embarrassing. The thing is that Gwen is totally hot. I thought she was pretty cute when she got on stage but as she was performing she went from cute to amazingly hot. That girl really gets into her rock star persona. Look at her, she’s adorable. She kind of looks like Kevin Barnes.
The band is a Chicago group made up of drums, bass, guitar, and electric violin. They have this kind of funk/gypsy/chick/Celtic/jam band/rock kind of thing going and it was absolutely wonderful. Tina and I bought the CD. I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD at a show, if ever. I must say the CD was a little less funky than the live show but there are a few cuts where they really do their thing. I think they are awesome. If you are in Chicago and they are playing it will be totally worth it to check them out.
1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free
2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this
3. This old sun is slowly sinking down/ And the moon is slowly rising. And this old world must still be spinning round/ And I still love you. You Can Close Your Eyes, Richie Havens. Identified by Mom.
4. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun
5. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes
After that we went and got tickets for Avenue Q!!!!! Hooray!!!! Although I don’t know the songs how can I not enjoy such gems as: What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?, Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, The Internet Is For Porn, and I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today? Then when you add on the fact that the cast is full of Muppets you realize that this must be the best play EVER.
Jamie and I headed back North so I could meet up with Dave and go to Cake Chicago, a live music review that takes place on the last Friday of the month at the Red Line Tap (behind the Heartland Café). I must admit that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. I tend not to like music I haven’t heard of and hate paying covers, even $5 for said unknown music.
The first act was spoken word, and I was certain I would be in for a long night. The second act was a guitar/harmonica playing lady who was pretty good. The third act was this lady named Ripley who organizes the event and was also pretty good. We ordered some Nachos & Guac from Heartland drank plenty of beers and I was feeling like my night was worth the $5.
It suddenly got better. The last band, The Gwen Mitchell Experiment, was amazingly outstanding. Dave and I have big old crushes on Gwen Mitchell. After the show Tina told Gwen and Gwen’s girlfriend that the gay boy and the straight girl were completely hot for her, which was a little embarrassing. The thing is that Gwen is totally hot. I thought she was pretty cute when she got on stage but as she was performing she went from cute to amazingly hot. That girl really gets into her rock star persona. Look at her, she’s adorable. She kind of looks like Kevin Barnes.
The band is a Chicago group made up of drums, bass, guitar, and electric violin. They have this kind of funk/gypsy/chick/Celtic/jam band/rock kind of thing going and it was absolutely wonderful. Tina and I bought the CD. I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD at a show, if ever. I must say the CD was a little less funky than the live show but there are a few cuts where they really do their thing. I think they are awesome. If you are in Chicago and they are playing it will be totally worth it to check them out.1. Horses in my dreams/ Like waves like the sea/ They pull out of here/ They pull they are free
2. Oh here we go again/ It’s time for the same arguments about/ About that and a little bit of this
3. This old sun is slowly sinking down/ And the moon is slowly rising. And this old world must still be spinning round/ And I still love you. You Can Close Your Eyes, Richie Havens. Identified by Mom.
4. What about the time/ You were rolling over/ Fell on your face/ You must be having fun
5. Unexplainable things will happen when we really see into each others eyes/ Right/ So why is it we rarely find the time to see each other in the eyes
Monday, April 21, 2008
I THINK I MIGHT WIN THIS ONE
So I was playing Scrabulous with this dude on Facebook that I won't name because I don't know if he would want me to and he proceeded to kick the pants off of me. It was somewhat embarrassing. Not having too many games going, I decided to start another game with him and keep my fingers crossed that I would lose not quite as badly as I did before. He has quite the impressive record. The first set of letters I got were
MN?UEDW
I thought, “Huh, those look like promising letters.” I began to think of words and came up with "mewed", the noise a cat makes. The remaining letters were “un”. I wondered if unmewed was a word. I put it on the board, although not in the smartest place cause I didn’t really think it would work. It worked. The definition doesn’t have anything to do with the cat sound. Apparently, "mew" means to confine and to "unmew" means to set free and therefore someone can be "unmewed". Nifty, I scored me 78 points, learned something, and got my next letters.
TORANIE
I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I really wanted to spell “anterior” but the other r was nowhere to be found. However, there was a D on the board and “rationed” soon appeared on the board netting me another 70 points. I don’t know if I have ever scored two seven letter words in a row and certainly not the first two moves of a game. My opponent wrote an “aw HELL no” after my move. I just smiled to myself and got my next letters.
TESET?O
I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I mixed them and mixed them and wasn’t having much luck. Then I thought ETTE is a pretty common ending of things. I mixed the rest of the letters around and was oh so glad I watched Project Runway like a mad woman because “rosette” was suddenly staring back at me. I couldn’t believe it. It even fit on the board, and over a triple word score. I netted another 70 points.
There the game sits. Three moves in and I have a score of 218. The last time I played dude I had a total score of 274. After his first two moves he is sitting on 60 points, not a shabby score at all. While he could catch me I think I might have this one wrapped up. I don’t have another seven letter word on my board though; at least I don’t think I do.
EDYOEED
No, "doeeyed" isn’t a word. Even if I had one and you saw it I couldn’t accept help cause that would be cheating and cheating is for losers. Then again, since I have been all self-congratulatory on my blog I will probably lose anyway due to overconfidence. That would suck.
1. Well I’m reading this poem and it’s so profound/ and I/ I like its rhythm/ and I/ I like its sound. Lies, Violent Femmes
2. Can I come over/ Tonight/ Can I come over/ Tonight/ What do you think I wanna do/ That’s right/ Can I come over/ Tonight. Real Cool Time, The Stooges
3. I got bullets in the clip/ So what you want/ I got a lyric I can spit/ So what you want. Ghetto Pop Life, Dangermouse and Jemini
4. Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you candy/ and John would buy the gown for you to wear to the prom/ With Tom the astronomer who’d name a star for you. The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side, Magnetic Fields
5. Loyal fans and new found followers/ What’s up ya’ll/ Hello how are you doing out there/ You chillin/ I’m winnin/ Oh by the way the album’s out/ Go get it. Here We Go Again. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
MN?UEDW
I thought, “Huh, those look like promising letters.” I began to think of words and came up with "mewed", the noise a cat makes. The remaining letters were “un”. I wondered if unmewed was a word. I put it on the board, although not in the smartest place cause I didn’t really think it would work. It worked. The definition doesn’t have anything to do with the cat sound. Apparently, "mew" means to confine and to "unmew" means to set free and therefore someone can be "unmewed". Nifty, I scored me 78 points, learned something, and got my next letters.
TORANIE
I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I really wanted to spell “anterior” but the other r was nowhere to be found. However, there was a D on the board and “rationed” soon appeared on the board netting me another 70 points. I don’t know if I have ever scored two seven letter words in a row and certainly not the first two moves of a game. My opponent wrote an “aw HELL no” after my move. I just smiled to myself and got my next letters.
TESET?O
I thought, “Huh, these look like very promising letters.” I mixed them and mixed them and wasn’t having much luck. Then I thought ETTE is a pretty common ending of things. I mixed the rest of the letters around and was oh so glad I watched Project Runway like a mad woman because “rosette” was suddenly staring back at me. I couldn’t believe it. It even fit on the board, and over a triple word score. I netted another 70 points.
There the game sits. Three moves in and I have a score of 218. The last time I played dude I had a total score of 274. After his first two moves he is sitting on 60 points, not a shabby score at all. While he could catch me I think I might have this one wrapped up. I don’t have another seven letter word on my board though; at least I don’t think I do.
EDYOEED
No, "doeeyed" isn’t a word. Even if I had one and you saw it I couldn’t accept help cause that would be cheating and cheating is for losers. Then again, since I have been all self-congratulatory on my blog I will probably lose anyway due to overconfidence. That would suck.
1. Well I’m reading this poem and it’s so profound/ and I/ I like its rhythm/ and I/ I like its sound. Lies, Violent Femmes
2. Can I come over/ Tonight/ Can I come over/ Tonight/ What do you think I wanna do/ That’s right/ Can I come over/ Tonight. Real Cool Time, The Stooges
3. I got bullets in the clip/ So what you want/ I got a lyric I can spit/ So what you want. Ghetto Pop Life, Dangermouse and Jemini
4. Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you candy/ and John would buy the gown for you to wear to the prom/ With Tom the astronomer who’d name a star for you. The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side, Magnetic Fields
5. Loyal fans and new found followers/ What’s up ya’ll/ Hello how are you doing out there/ You chillin/ I’m winnin/ Oh by the way the album’s out/ Go get it. Here We Go Again. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Friday, April 11, 2008
FOODIE FRIDAY- A CHIP
A bad bad thing has happened to me. I found a good Dill Pickle chip. I have been on an eating better kick for the last few months and it has certainly done my body some good but I seem to have hit a plateau. I actually don’t mind plateaus, I mind backtracking. I really can’t complain. This morning I stopped by Dominick’s on my way to work to raid the salad bar and thought I might want something more than a mere salad. By the deli there were many chips, I love a salty snack. Then I saw Dill Pickle flavored chips and I got excited.
Let me tell you a little about the Dill Pickle chip. When I first saw them I thought it was so incredibly disgusting that I had to try it. I believe this happened sometime during the mid 90s. Old Dutch (a very popular brand over in good old Minnesota) was the maker and I couldn’t wait to eat the nastiness that I was sure would come out of the bag. Why I was excited to eat nasty food I do not know, but I was. However, the chip was far from disgusting. In fact it was quite possibly the most delicious chip I had ever tasted. It was a regular potato chip and was dusted with these dill pickle flavored specks, similar to what you might see on a sour cream and onion chip. I was hooked.
When I went off to college I had my mom send me a bag of Dill Pickle chips in a care package. It got completely pulverized. Friend and I ate the entire crumbly bag in about 30 seconds. She had been wary but they were a hit with her too. Over the years there have been a few other attempts at dill pickle chips. Lays has one but there are no flecks on it and, therefore, I feel it doesn’t have the charm. It tastes a little too much like a salt and vinegar chip to me, like they just dunked them in pickle juice. Lays are also notoriously greasy.
The bag I saw today was of the Kettle Classics brand. A kettle cooked chip is generally a good thing so I figured even if the pickling wasn’t right on I would still enjoy the chip. When I opened the bag (it was actually the hardest to open chip bag I have come across in a long time) I was greeted with crunchy kettle chips, pickle flakes, and a light pickle taste on the chip itself. I bit into it with anticipation and I was disgusted. The chip was so damn good. I’ll have to stop myself from eating them all the time. I haven’t had a dill pickle chip craving in years because there haven’t been any good ones to crave. It may all fall apart. For shame.
And now for something completely different. I watched Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street last night. It was absolutely wonderful. I loved the whole look of the film and was thoroughly entertained. Unless you hate incredibly bloody and stylized musicals I suggest that you watch it as soon as possible.
1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it
2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on
3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven lord I saw a mighty sign
4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me
5. Tie yourself to me/ No one else knows you’re not rid of me/ No you’re not rid of me. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey. Identified by Brooke.
Let me tell you a little about the Dill Pickle chip. When I first saw them I thought it was so incredibly disgusting that I had to try it. I believe this happened sometime during the mid 90s. Old Dutch (a very popular brand over in good old Minnesota) was the maker and I couldn’t wait to eat the nastiness that I was sure would come out of the bag. Why I was excited to eat nasty food I do not know, but I was. However, the chip was far from disgusting. In fact it was quite possibly the most delicious chip I had ever tasted. It was a regular potato chip and was dusted with these dill pickle flavored specks, similar to what you might see on a sour cream and onion chip. I was hooked.
When I went off to college I had my mom send me a bag of Dill Pickle chips in a care package. It got completely pulverized. Friend and I ate the entire crumbly bag in about 30 seconds. She had been wary but they were a hit with her too. Over the years there have been a few other attempts at dill pickle chips. Lays has one but there are no flecks on it and, therefore, I feel it doesn’t have the charm. It tastes a little too much like a salt and vinegar chip to me, like they just dunked them in pickle juice. Lays are also notoriously greasy.
The bag I saw today was of the Kettle Classics brand. A kettle cooked chip is generally a good thing so I figured even if the pickling wasn’t right on I would still enjoy the chip. When I opened the bag (it was actually the hardest to open chip bag I have come across in a long time) I was greeted with crunchy kettle chips, pickle flakes, and a light pickle taste on the chip itself. I bit into it with anticipation and I was disgusted. The chip was so damn good. I’ll have to stop myself from eating them all the time. I haven’t had a dill pickle chip craving in years because there haven’t been any good ones to crave. It may all fall apart. For shame.
And now for something completely different. I watched Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street last night. It was absolutely wonderful. I loved the whole look of the film and was thoroughly entertained. Unless you hate incredibly bloody and stylized musicals I suggest that you watch it as soon as possible.
1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it
2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on
3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven lord I saw a mighty sign
4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me
5. Tie yourself to me/ No one else knows you’re not rid of me/ No you’re not rid of me. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey. Identified by Brooke.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
MY SUBCONSCIOUS THINKS I'M CHILDISH
I went to the optometrist this morning. My prescription has changed a tiny bit but my eyes are not the source of my lightheadedness. I’m calling my Dr. back tomorrow. Today my pupils are dilated and it has enhanced my feeling funny. What fun. I did get really nifty glasses though. they have sparkles on them that you can kind of see in the side view.
So the other night I had this dream that Monica, Patrick (who is Monica’s friend and I have never met but have seen pictures of), and I were playing on this playground after winning some crazy boat race or something. That part of the dream is a little fuzzy. Patrick in the dream didn’t look like Patrick in real life; he looked more like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which is very funny because it is almost the exact opposite of real Patrick. Anyway we had this tent thing that we draped over a round climby thing on the playground and were playing fort. Fort rules.
So we are in our fort having an awesome time when this little kid comes in. The kid’s dad is standing on the sidelines of the playground watching. The kid looks up at us and asks how old we are. I say 28, Monica says 29, and Patrick says 30 (I have no idea how old he really is). The kid looks at us and says, “Oh, that’s old. I’m 4. What are you doing in this fort?” We just looked at the kid and then at each other and packed up in shame. Then some other strange dream type stuff happened that I don’t remember. I think that the remembered part was the important part though.
The thing was my dream kind of hurt my feelings. I mean sure, I like to play around but I think my friends and I are fine examples of people in their late 20s. We have jobs, we pay rent, we function as adults, and we are generally accepted to be grown type folks. So what if we like forts? Who doesn’t? Just cause we don’t have kids of our own to play fort with doesn’t mean we should be shut out from playing. Play is important. Anyway, I’m mad at my dream.
1. Identity/ Identity is the crisis you can’t see/ Identity/ Identity
2. Did I/ See a moment/ With you/ In a half-lit world
3. Ghost, ghost I know you live within me/ Feel as you fly/ In thunderclouds above the city/ Into one that I
4. I’m tired of wasting gas living above the planet/ Mister show me the way to earth/ The boys from quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds don’t come round here no more.
5. Downtown/ We’ll drown/ We’re in our never splendor/ Flowers/ Showers/ Who’s got the new boy gender
Monday, March 10, 2008
A WEEKEND FULL OF STUFF
I had an utterly exhausting weekend full of stuff and things. To most people it would have been a relatively low key weekend. Oh how I love my extreme debilitating INFPness.
Friday after work I headed over to Monica’s office to meet her for dinner and Be Kind Rewind. We had a lovely meal at a Mexican joint called Su Casa that we never go to because it is right next to Grand Lux and we felt it would be overpriced. It was pretty standard dining out Mexican food priced. We even ordered marguerites, which is unusual because usually we are all about being hella cheap. It was nice to eat like regular adults. While we were there we discussed how I only have three friends I see on a regular basis and one of them is Tony. This leaves me with Monica and Dave. It isn’t that I don’t like my other friends; I like them quite a bit. However, seeing Dave once a week and Monica about once every other week give or take, and Tony all the time more than satisfies my need for human interaction. This, coupled with my laziness, means that I love seeing my other friends but it doesn’t happen all that often. She then wondered why it was that she has like 20 friends who she sees semi-regularly and still feels like she doesn’t’ have enough friends. I had no answer, the thought of the stress of seeing so many people just made me want to curl up on my couch and I had a movie to see. The movie was plenty entertaining, the end was a little on the cheesy overdone side but it was still fine.
Saturday was a day that most people would say was full of absolutely nothing. Tony slept late so I watched some TV and messed around with the computer. Then we went out to Diner to eat food, then we went to the grocery store, then we cleaned the fish tank (those poor little guys needed it so bad) and installed a new heater, then we watched Torchwood (which is totally awesome) and had some dinner. I think we might have read some as well. It was, as you can see, incredibly busy.
Sunday was even busier! We got up and made some breakfast and then decided that since we had a nice clean fish tank that we possibly needed more fish to go in it. We headed to the fish store up the street only to find that it was closed and they are also having a going out of business sale. We saw a bus coming and decided to hop on it to go to a fish store up in 
They didn’t have any fish we particularly wanted, which was a bummer because we really wanted some fish. They did have a Sugar Glider and I immediately wanted to take it home forever but it was like $285 and that wasn’t happening. After the fish store we decided to go for a walk and ended up walking back to
So my point is that if I do ANYTHING it seems like a whole lot of action. I’m totally exhausted today but we’ll say it is because of the daylights savings thing because if that lame nothing weekend made me this tired there is no hope for me at all.
Time for the reveal of last weeks songs.
1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now
2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog
3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town
4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd
5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that. Sixteen, Le Tigre
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
GENERATION SKIPPED
Writing about my mix and seeing people’s responses made me think about the kind of music I like and why I like it (other than the fact that it is awesome). I learned a lot about music from my parents. This has led me to assume that many people are influenced greatly by their parent’s musical tastes which are, in turn, influenced by their parent’s musical taste and so on and so forth in perpetuity. Therefore, I wonder, does music skip a generation?
I also assume (erroneously but not entirely so) that musical taste solidifies between the formative years that I will label as being between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Granted, there will be much loved bands that come into ones life after that age but I postulate that the new bands will not greatly contradict the sensibilities of the aforementioned formative bands.
Now, I don’t know exactly how old my parents are. I am ashamed to admit this because they both read this blog and I have seriously condemned myself. You would think I could just figure it out based on the years they were born but as I do not know those either I am screwed. I do know, however, what their birthdays are and approximately when their anniversary is and that I love them very much so they’ll have to just accept that. I’ll just say they are in their early to mid 50s and were, therefore, born in the mid to late 50s meaning their formative musical years were in the late 60s and early 70s, which was arguably one of the greatest times for music ever.
I love music from that era. The kids I grew up with loved music from that era. My current friends love music from that era. Naturally, I assumed that everyone loved music from that era. However, while having a conversation with one of my student workers I found out that I was mistaken. My student did not love music from that era. What was even more shocking to me was that the student knew next to nothing about music from that era. I mentioned a bunch of big name groups to get some kind of reaction; The Beatles, Hendrix, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin (who i never heard in my house but many of my peers heard in theirs), various Motown groups…you know the stuff. The thing is that this student didn’t. All he could say was “I’ve heard of some of them but I don’t really know any of their music”.
I love my student workers, every last one of them, but I didn’t know what to say. I felt like there was a huge chasm that had suddenly formed between us. How can you not know what Hendrix played? What do you mean you have never heard The White Album? You can imagine how I kept trying to find things they knew and continued to fail. It made me wonder if I was a total freak. I decided that was not the case and there had to be another reason.
I know people have children at all different ages. According to the most recent data I could find in one quick Google search 25 is the average age for a first time parent (2004) and that was a high. Since I’m talking about people who are currently 18-22 and were born in the late 80s (gosh that makes me feel old) I’m guessing the average age of their parent was about 23, just cause. That means they were born between 63 and 67 making their musical formative years fall in the early to mid 80s and they are now in their early to mid forties. Therefore these kids grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and the like. My students knew who all those people were. They also didn’t know jack about early 90s music. They were too young to really care and it either didn’t jive with the formative sensibilities of their 80s entrenched parents. Thus, i have proved that music skips a generation.
I realize that this proof is full of assumptions and holes but what do you expect from a blog post? I’m not saying my students can’t appreciate the music my folks taught me to love. They just haven’t had the chance to be exposed to it. Now that they know me (and I have music in my office all the time) they have a better chance of expanding their musical knowledge and I am doing my best to make sure that it happens.
1. Close my eyes/ feel me now/ I don’t know how you could not love me now
2. Elephant wields the rod/ While the donkey throws you the bone/ I'd rather have a bone than a beating I suppose/ Either way still the dog
3. Silver birch against a Swedish sky/ The singer in the band made me want to cry/ We're all inside our own heads now/ We are leaving new friends/ We are leaving this town
4. When I had you to myself/ I didn’t want you around/ Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd
5. So they say I was sometimes cruel/ I don’t know if I would say that too/ oh I/ I don’t know about that
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