Chicago: Show me another city with lifted head singing -- so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.

http://www.nps.gov/carl/forkids/images/youngcshead285textwrap.jpg

figured it was about time

FREE

Thee Oh Sees, Mother of Tears, Paul Cary
When: Thu., Oct. 2, 10 p.m.
Cobra Lounge
o West Loop 235 N. Ashland
o phone 312-226-6300

I am going to this instead of watching the VP debate.

My lunch. I win.

"Grecian Chicken" which is a 1/4 chicken (breast), potatoes, rice, and bread for $4.15 and it's delicious. From Mr. Greek's.

guys this thread title is ridic
almost as bad as "momplacation"

Aw, I kind of liked it!

i'm sure it's fine
sorry to offend
just so long

it's way better than mumplacation at least

it's fine

too much stuff going on thurs night:

VP debate
cubs game #2
oh sees show

i'll probably have to miss all those for FF practice and early bed because i have to wake up and drive to champaign on fri. morning

Yeah, it's pretty long. It's from a poem by Carl Sandburg.

http://carl-sandburg.com/chicago.htm

xposts

i'm feeling hyperbolic because i'm nervous about tomorrow
i want blood

i have a rare free evening tomorrow. i wish i could watch the office AND the debate ;_;

i'm working on this project where i have to go to the library and pretend like i'm looking for information on something and then assess the "reference interview" the librarian is supposed to conduct. but it's making me feel deceitful, like a spy, and a little guilty

you're a secret shopper!

What is the dummy subject you're researching?

we get to pick our own and we're supposed to use things we're interested in so it's not all fakey, so i'm asking for information about building musical instruments. i'm asking for something general to see how they get more details out of me. in fact i'm going to actively try and make them look bad and ask "where can i find books about musical instruments?" first to see if they just point me off somewhere without getting more information (which they're supposed to)

not sure if this will work...
<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?&enablejs=true&brandname=AL%20Focus&brandlink=http%3A//alfocus.ala.org/&showguidebutton=false&showsharebutton=false&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Falfocus%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F767811"; width="360" height="270" allowfullscreen="true" id="showplayer"><param name="movie" value="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?&enablejs=true&brandname=AL%20Focus&brandlink=http%3A//alfocus.ala.org/&showguidebutton=false&showsharebutton=false&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Falfocus%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F767811"; /><param name="quality" value="best" /></object>

oops

try this http://alfocus.ala.org/videos/national-library-week-reference-desk

That's so interesting, Nick. When I worked at a bookstore my favorite part was helping people find books they didn't have enough information on, kind of sleuthing out something they wanted. As long as that's your JOB, which hopefully for reference librarians it is.

But I can so easily imagine that a lib's job is sixty other things AND reference desk tasks and people who want to know how to make instruments but can't even say so are ON THEIR OWN and rightly so. There's a difference between "There was an author interviewed on the radio, he was talking about tennis and I think his name was three words" which, being kind of current-eventy, you'll probably eventually find...and "I'm looking for a book, it's about this big, and it's blue", which, those people are welcome to look in our blue book section. If they can find it.

dude totally failed

jesse i suspect i'll end up just listening to the game on the radio at home because i've got a lot of stuff to do before going out of town this weekend, but i'll call you if that changes

Hey, if you don't want to drink but you want to watch the game, Chicago's Pizza, at Wellington and Sheffield, right next to the El tracks, has a nice new fancy T.V. and free refills on your soda and decent pizza by the slice.

When I worked at a bookstore my favorite part was helping people find books they didn't have enough information on, kind of sleuthing out something they wanted.

me too

I've decided that I REALLY need a hair cut, plus I'll be out tomorrow, plus I have soup on at home, plus I don't care enough to watch baseball before it gets to a really critical point.

Go Cubs, Go Tampa.

Are you anti-Sox?

I basically root for the Sox as long as they're not playing the Cubs.

It's like I told my friend Deepak the other night: I don't really care about baseball, but if I did I'd feel compelled to support the White Sox. Or maybe Detroit, but I don't live there any more.

PS Guise this song is stuck in my head:

Or maybe Detroit, but I don't live there any more.

lol "there" meaning MI

I wouldn't mind calling the D home at some point tho.

i'm not sure if i'm embarrassed or not, but i have no idea what that song is. i listened to it and i still don't know.

It's a Death Cab for Cutie cover band.

No srsly it's Canuck indie hearthrobs Tokyo Police Club. I don't know why I like it but I kinda do.

i can't understand a thing that guy's saying /grandma

i support all chicago sports teams. despite living here for almost five years now, i still feel like i can't support the cubs or the sox over the other without being a poseur. i'm pushing more for the cubs this year because they're the better team and thus deserve to win more, plus the whole 100 years thing, but i want the sox to do well too. i also vaguely like the brewers and would support them more if they weren't in the same division as the cubs and also didn't totally suck ass.

the rays are going to crush the sox unfortunately. i called the sox in four on the i love baseball thread because literally no one was calling the series for the sox and i was feeling contrary, plus if the sox somehow end up winning i'll look like a genius.

I like Tokyo Police Club but was sort of disappointed by the full-length, apart from "Your English Is Good" (which I'd heard a year ago as a single, anyway).

Sports-interested parties should definitely consider the Fire v. Columbus game on 10/12 (Sunday, 2PM). Columbus is in 1st place overall, the Fire are in 3rd, and it'll be a pretty important match in determining who wins the regular season.

It'll also be the second to last regular season home game, there will be a visiting contingent from Columbus to provide someone to shout at, and the Fire supporters group is putting together a tifo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tifo) display for the team. Tickets can be had as cheap as 20 bucks, I think, and there's not a bad seat in the house. AFAIK Kates and I are going, I think mattttttt is going to be out of town. We can tailgate or whatever, too.

(I swear I will stop posting about the Fire one of these days if no-one is interested. But believe me, I was once like you, and now I am hooked.)

To the extent that I care about baseball, I find the Sox and their fans and their marketing grating. True, a train full of Cubs fans is no treat, but that whole "show the swagger" ad campaign plays to their their fans' macho "bad-boy" arrogance. I didn't care too much until they won the world series and they became insufferable.

Also, there is....someone whom I don't like who is a Sox fan and it helped push me over into really disliking them.

Also that Ozzie and the sex doll rape thing seemed about par for the course.

xp

par for the course for pretty much any male athletic team anywhere

OK, this is annoying. There is approximately a 10 second delay in between the Cubs game broadcast and what is actually happening. I have the windows open, so I hear the crowd cheering, then 10 seconds later see DeRosa has hit a homerun.

This is Jeff, not Jenny.

I bet you're still tit deep in abomination, though.

i'm pretty sure all "live" tv and radio has at least a short delay so they have time to bleep out any unintended vulgarity

i'm listening to the game on the radio. ron santo is old

And awesome.

I am following the game on MLB Gameday (still at work).

par for the course for pretty much any male athletic team anywhere

― metametadata (n/a), Wednesday, October 1, 2008 5:16 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I can't comment as to whether Ozzie's behavior is standard for male athletic teams anywhere (though the fact that it got so much attention suggests that it is exceptional), but the subsequent defense of it fits in with the macho, salty, roughneck attitude I referred to earlier. He could take a cue from fellow dickheads John Rocker Tim Hardaway and at least grudgingly apologize.

i can't decide whether to watch the vp debate or go see trombone shorty's band tonight.

i guess i can catch all the debate zingers on youtube tomorrow.

This new gym I go to has TVs fucking *everywhere* and I kept hearing bouts of sporadic cheering and clapping while doing my thing last night. It was people watching the Cubs, of course. I'm glad I got out of there before they started to lose.

What is the "sex doll rape thing"?

I got an amazing haircut last night at Big Hair. I feel really beautiful.

i like big hair, even though it's kind of a crapshoot which stylist you're going to get. most of them are good but there's one sullen woman who i don't like

When I lived in Roscoe Village, it seemed like any friend I ran into was on their way to or from Big Hair.

John, Jordan: puzzle job.

Nick, why don't you make an appointment with a non-sullen stylist?

I thought the point of Big Hair was that it was walk-in only? I don't know. I've never been there.

That's very interesting, Eazy. I wonder what the publication is.

yeah you can't make appointments at big hair

Oh, really? OK. I misunderstood.

I went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. It was kind of gross.

i've only eaten at california pizza kitchen once, at a fancy mall in richmond. it was gross then too. really salty.

remember when i got mad about everyone being opinionated about everything, and i said i wasn't going to have opinions anymore?

yes

i've only had it non-frozen once, in boston. it was pretty decent.

john, you should apply for that puzzle job!

I dunno, it seems like it's mostly about soliciting puzzles from other people?

I have only had frozen CPK and I liked it. I also like salt.

yes, you could solicit puzzles from YOURSELF.

yeah yeah this is your chance to develop your own JT Leroy and solicit puzzles from...yourself!

i ate cheez-its for lunch. still hungry.

i had corn chowder and a salad and i am still hungry.

I just bought a combination bus/game ticket to go see the Fire in Toronto in 2 weeks. Am I insane y/n

n
party bus

Toronto is the best.

i've never been to canada. it seems fun.

I've never been as an adult. I'm hoping to have some time to bounce around and see some sights (hi dere hockey hall of fame) before getting drunk and shouting my lungs out.

oh god, after watching some youtube clips i'm so glad i did fun things instead of driving myself crazy with the debate last night

Oh Sees rocked, I am v tired.

Hey everyone. Last night was magic.

Saw T0m@s' house for the first time. What else do you want to know?

Did you fuck him?

i went out for chicken wings with this dude last night

http://www.southpadremusicfest.com/images/artists/trombone_shorty.jpg

That's a lovely picture.

John, he's not a bottom.

Did he fuck you?

I don't know that slang. You're saying did he what now?

ENOUGH.

I just came to tell you of my utter love of keyboard shortcuts. After I post here, I often reflexively press Alt-S, as on Outlook.

hi I am in champaign posting with my iPod. What a country!

Wow! Do you have to have an open Wifi signal to do that? Subscription fees? Tell me more.

i use keyboard shortcuts constantly at work but never in my daily life. weird.

Jesse is right. Keyboards are the future. Custom shortcut keystrokes are rockin' too (though I don't know how to do it in Windows) -- F2 opens Firefox, F3 opens mail, F7 runs a script that backs up my music drive, etc.

My brother was here a couple weeks ago, and filled my fridge with things I do not want. So when I took the trash out a minute ago, I carefully placed in the alley a consolidated 14-pack of Bud Light and Corona, and a 2/3 full bottle of Jager. No bum will be cold in my neighborhood tonight.

Hey, not unlike Dan's listings of homes for sale in the U.P., I've been looking at what $800-$1600/mo gets you in Santa Fe. Look at the places with photos.

those places in SF looks totally cute and amazing! not unlike long beach, actually...

except better views and ways cheaper.

Did I bring up Santa Fe recently? It's come up in other contexts. Are you thinking of moving, Eric?

My weekend:
Katie @nush@ and I went to Holl@nd Mich to canvass for Obama, which was not all that fun, but it was OK (one woman told Katie and me that she wanted nothing to do with a man who killed babies and we met a number of closeted Obama supporters). Then we went to Porkapalooza which was great and I want to go again. We ate sausage, drank New Holland beers, then ate Luaued pig (which did not fully cook in its underground pit, so they had to lay it out and grill it. The corpse looked very much like a human torso with short limbs that had been worked on by Jefferey Dahmer. But it tastes wonderful and the pineapple sticky rice with gingered sweet potatoes were perfect with it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2845717523_d05d286308.jpg

At the Porkfest we ran into my bosses, and L|bby offered to let us stay at her place in Harbert. We went to her place, drank some wine and solved the world's social problems from our armchairs.

I want to live in her house - the inside is all original 1950s design - including a really cool oven - and has a wonderful screened in porch and it is only about 1/8 mile to Lake MI and 1:10 to Chicago.

In the morning L. cooked us eggs, 2 packs of bacon, and biscuits smeared with her homemade blueberry preserves.

Totally successful weekend.

Did I bring up Santa Fe recently? It's come up in other contexts. Are you thinking of moving, Eric?

Nah, I've got a friend who lived there, daydreams about moving back, and showed me those listings. After seeing what's available, though, it does sound appealing.

A friend's boyfriend mentioned moving there for a job recently, and Jenny's advised against it due to her once having been threatened with lynching by a Truth or Consequences Sheriff due to her unusual automobile.

Porkapalooza was porfect.

There are really few things better than standing by a bonfire in the crisp autumn air, drinking beer, eating pork and gazing upon stars and handsome midwestern men in gray hoodies.

Also, Gobama.

The bonfire was pretty great. That's one thing you can't really do in the city.

I thought it was funny that outside of the porta-potties at the portable handwashing station, they had Bath and Body Works foaming soaps.

Hi. My boss is sick. Poor, poor boss (not literally poor).

I want a bonfire and s'mores.

i'm sick, too. and i am probably more literally poor than your boss. is nick in champaign?

i got back last night

it was fun being on a college campus and funny being around college kids. the trip was useful, made me feel more like i'm in a real graduate program and most of the people i met were pretty nice and smart so that was cool. however after talking to people i'm really not looking forward to the required condensed two-week on-campus class i have to take next summer.

plus i got to watch the cubs lose on cable tv at my hotel instead of just listening to them lose on the radio at home

What did they say about it?

Hey, I just remembered I have Monday off. :-D

just that it was really hardcore, with no free time at all, but there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for why it has to be compressed into two weeks. plus you have to live in a dorm for two weeks.

NOOOO!!!

You know what this means though? You need to pull out all your old dorm posters and make a collage on your dorm wall. If all else fails, I'm sure we could find some dorm appropriate posters online.

i had a good weekend full of drinking. i played at a service industry party last night -- it makes sense to have it on a sunday for SIP folks, but it's kinda tough if you have a day job. they overestimated the attendance by a lot and there were like 30 uneaten pizzas at the end of the night (i took some home just to feed to the office vultures today).

anyone read any good books lately?

I had to take a break and come back to it but I'm still working my way through Infotopia. It's v good but v dense.

i'm still working on infinite jest. i liked 'the brief wondrous life of oscar wao' though.

Cool, I want to read Oscar Wao, I just keep forgetting about it.

I'm living in a one-bedroom apartment within a freshman dorm. All the kids are fine-arts kids. When a gal friend helped me move in, one of the kids saw us from the end of the hall and said "Uh-oh. Parents."

???
you're living in a dorm? i thought you lived on sheridan.

I'm directing a play at a big university, so I'm at home occasionally but otherwise out of town.

oooooh
la ti da!

how weird that they threw you in a freshman dorm. i hope you brought your tom wolfe suit.

Katie is reading Oscar Wao too.

I am reading Flicker, which seems like it will be good. By the author of Pi and Requiem for a Dream.

i am reading flickr

Darren Aronofsky wrote a book?

http://www.amazon.com/Flicker-Novel-Theodore-Roszak/dp/155652577X

Oh, you mean he's making a movie out of it.

Wait...maybe I read the cover wrong...maybe Aronofsky is making this into a movie. I thought that Rosznak wrote Pi and Requiem.

Confirmed. Anyway, the book is a little slow,but shows promise.

oscar wao was good but sad

can't handle anything dense right now

i think i need to find that william gibson book that was recommended last time we talked books

Requiem for a Dream was written by Hubert Selby, Jr.

ilx makes my head spin sometimes

Anyone feel like trivia tomorrow night huh huh huh?

I'm gonna watch the debate.

i think we're having practice tomorrow. it's vaguely possible but not probable that i would get home from practice early enough to get to trivia

grumblegrumblegrumble OK, one of these weeks though guys...

i would like to do it again soon, i'm just in the middle of a kinda crazy week and a half with on-campus session, jury duty tomorrow and show on friday. hopefully starting this weekend things will calm back down a little

A la the London and NYC-centric threads on New Answers today, what CTA line do you wish existed?

primary: the "Circle" line
secondary: the 63rd st. Green Line past Cottage Grove

Maybe a monorail down Western Ave. from the brown line in Lincoln Square down to the green line.

Otherwise, yeah, I'd love to take a train to Hyde Park.

tertiary: Orange Line past Midway to Toyota Park

CIRCLE. 1000%.

I left JMC off an earlier email. Debate watching tonight?

I'm watching it at home with a couple of Kr's friends and several beers.

hahaha my dad just sent me this

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2921573699_8895d0ab0b.jpg

i will also be watching it with several friends, all of whom are beers

me too -- a pumpkin ale, an oatmeal stout, and what will probably be a horribly boring debate! Maybe McCain will finally crack and go apeshit.

I'm hoping for some fucking drama here, specifically in the form of a McCain meltdown in the face of Barack's cool demeaner, but I'm not counting on it.

cooking with balls

only 32 pages?

Hey I keep seeing this place on my way to work and think that it's thread-worthy, then forget about it by the time I get to HP...

http://www.epicburger.com/

Oh, oh, I was going to write about that place. I ate at the one down by Harrison and State. Organic beef, good quality, decent price, nice layout, worth visiting.

well, i guess there are only so many ways to prepare balls (that this guy knows about)

i had the most wonderful lunch today, guys. my class cooked (just like last semester) and this is what we ate:

arroz y gandules (puerto rico)
arroz a la valenciana (nicaragua)
flautas de pollo (mexico)
chilaquiles con salsa verde (mexico)
rellenitos w/ bean filling (guatemala)
pork shoulder en adobo* (michoacan/mexico)
coctel de camarones (mexico? it was shrimp cocktail)
arepas con sofrito y pollo (a la Amanda)

*this sauce totally blew my mind. it was the deepest kind of spicy i have ever tasted. so. delicious.

i don't remember how to say pork shoulder en español

hi Chicago! omg i just went to hot doug's and got the mediterranean lamb sausage. it's AMAZING. i recommend!

i don't remember how to say pork shoulder en español

ÑÓM ÑÓM ÑÓM

Hi horseshoe!

hi John!

I think this thread has inspired me to go to hot dougs. like, right now.

What is Moroccan Mustard like?

super spicy, Dan! which is to say, delicious.

i think that was the first time i've been to hot doug's in a year? it seemed kind of empty comparatively; i guess bc people are retrenching economically.

Who will go see Hercules and Love Affair with me?

i don't think it would be appropriate for any of us to love affair with you, john.

Actually, I think my bear friend Pat might be going.

hey is that the guy you were with at pfork like 3 (4?) years ago? i vaguely remember that dude. he told a funny story about wearing a coffee dispenser or something.

Pat the Bear sounds like
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/d8/9/AAAAAvYildAAAAAAANiVtw.jpg

Yep. (I don't remember that story, though.)

urgh i just made trader joes samosas for breakfast (shut up) and they have microwave instructions on them so i microwaved them and somehow they came out totally scorched and blackened and dense. i didn't even know it was possible to burn something in the microwave, but apparently it is. i ate them anyways.

Are those the ones where you microwave the whole box?

Malort face.

lol

you know someone with the screen name "Big Rye" is gonna be a drinker

The Fire are turning 10!

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=241108

xp Maybe he's a baker.

dude's going around taking reaction shots of people drinking Malort though!

My cuckoo clock just started working! It startled the douche out of me.

lololol

I think the new kitten jarred it into functionality.

The pendulum is not attached, so it is calling the hour every 10 minutes.

Two pictures:

the beach, earlier tonight, with the Big Dipper over it

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i191/fluxion23/edgewater-beach-october.png

And my little brother dressed as the Church Lady last Halloween

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i191/fluxion23/travis-church-lady.jpg

Malort face.

I say this in all honestness, and I have witnesses: the first time I took a shot of Malort, people around me reacted, but I didn't. They reacted to the fact that I didn't seem to find anything much odd about the stuff. I just tossed it back. It was like they just watched somebody run off a cliff and not fall, Wile E. Coyote style.

Were you already drunk? That might help.

Chicago Sheriff refusing to evict people

CHICAGO (AP) — The sheriff here said Wednesday that he's ordering his deputies to stop evicting people from foreclosed properties because many people his office has helped throw out on the street are renters who did nothing wrong.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWQSAw_s2aqqnJS5Ib0-PbD24H5gD93MJAO00

I am here to report firsthand that, in October 2008, college freshmen are still playing "Free Bird" on acoustic guitars in their dorm rooms.

http://www.mgoddingltd.co.uk/shop_image/product/011849.jpg

One obligation of living in the apartment in the "fine arts" dorm wing means having some kind of interaction with the students, so the R.A. put together a lunch today. No one came, so I had lunch with him in the cafeteria, and two other R.A.s joined us. They all talked about how out of control the kids are. Choices for lunch: apples, bananas, corn dogs, sloppy joes, and a smörgåsbord of cake and donuts.

I never wanted to see the words "Tom Wolfe" printed across a taut, bare midriff. And now that I have, I demand an apology.

i didn't shower this morning but put on freshly laundered clothes and it feels weird.

btw i'm gonna sneak into town on the morning of the 25th to play some parade downtown (around state st, i think). not sure what it's for.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/images/2008/10/06/madisonwi1205pm.jpg

Nice Madison photo on Andrew Sullivan's blog today.

hey dudes. i just spent the last three days serving as an alternate juror in a gang murder trial

how'd that go

simultaneously interesting and tedious

-ly

what does the alternate juror do? is anyone going to the big house or you can't tell us?

the alternate juror does the same thing the regular jurors has to do except for deliberate. so i had to sit in the courtroom and listen to all the testimony and whatnot but i got to leave this morning before the jury went to talk about the verdicts. i don't know if anyone is going to the big house or if a verdict has even been decided yet, but there's a phone number i can call to find out. i'm glad i wasn't on the regular jury because i was totally unsure how i would decide

that does sound interesting

v intersting

Was this down on Calfornia or downtown or in the burbs?

i had trouble enjoying the first day because i didn't think i would actually get picked to serve on a jury, and then once i was, i was really stressed out that i might fall behind on school stuff. i would have enjoyed it more if i was just missing work. yesterday was better, and today was good because i was pretty sure i wouldn't have to be there long. the worst things about it were: 1) aforementioned tedium, mainly the really formalized ways they have to verify statements and introduce evidence, 2) having to hang out with the other jurors all the time (they were mostly annoying) and not being able to call anyone, 3) having to eat "lunch" in a tiny room in the courthouse with the other jurors. the case itself was pretty interesting.

it was down on california (2650 s. california)

yes, but are you going to write a song about it y/n

i think you should

unless it is against the law, then no.

ha ha i was thinking "the alternate juror" was a pretty good song name, though hard to say

the judge was awesome, he was my favorite

what was lunch?

spaghetti and meatballs on tuesday, breaded pork sandwich yesterday, with bland macaroni and cheese as the vegetarian option on both days. i brought food with me yesterday.

Alternate Juror is a great name for a song.

I wish a one of our cases would get to trial, since I could take half-days to just go and watch my bosses parade around.

Speaking of which - John, you won't have to cat-sit, as the big trial in Iowa is off. :(

Nick, would you have feared gang retaliation had you been on the real jury?

eh not really, these dudes didn't really seem particularly organized. in fact, it was never really clear to me if the shooter and the victim were in different gangs or in different factions of the same gang - i think it was the latter. this is the gang that the shooter and most of the people involved in the case were in. btw this was a shooting that happened three years ago

i'm sure everyone remembers what happened with startling clarity

well part of what was interesting was that one guy, the main eyewitness, came in and told the police what he saw the day after the shooting. he was pretty much the only person who, in the court i was in, said it was the defendant who did it. then there were a couple of other people who gave grand jury testimony saying they had heard the defendant brag about the shooting and helped dispose of the gun, but they basically refused to say so in the court i was in, meaning their grand jury testimony had to be read into evidence line by line. a couple of them said they had lied in the grand jury to get deals from the cops. one of them claimed he couldn't read and so wasn't even sure what the statement he signed said, but someone from the court testified she had him read back part of the statement before signing it. a lot of the defense was about trying to discredit the one eyewitness and say there wasn't enough light or time for him to see what he said he saw. but he was a pretty strong (and/or well-coached) witness. it got pretty convoluted.

Did having watched The Wire and Law and Order help?

argh

OK most of you know about my situation wrt my job ending, being laid off, and severance. I just got out of a quick meeting with a manager from a different department who is looking to fill a position that I'm basically perfectly qualified for. I think I'm going to apply, but getting the position would negate the offer of severance pay. With the economic news of late, taking a new job while I can get it (esp. a new job that will be as good if not better than this one) makes a lot of sense, but I am still conflicted as hell. Better to keep options open I guess.

i can see how that would be a tough decision. i don't really have any good advice.

Maybe take a quick look to see if there are similar jobs at NWestern or elsewhere?

I did! I applied to one already.

maybe once your severance dries up, the economy will be fixed. or hey, if you spend your severance in the U.S., maybe you can actively FIX the economy, ensuring yourself new employment. it's like that snake that eats its own tail

Argh, indeed! It's hard to turn down 6 months severance. You will qualify for unemployment benefits, so you would have basic living expenses plus your severance to carry you through, but what if the shit hits the fan in earnest.... Tough choices!

xp

That would be the jackpot: severence + new secure job.

My trepedation about taking this current directing gig was knowing that the economy was going to get much worse pretty quickly. Scary.

we're playing at bottom lounge tonight, if anyone feels like coming let us know so we can try and get you on the guest list. headlining band has the rhythm section from dismemberment plan

That would be the jackpot: severence + new secure job.

For sure. I hope I hear about that one soon so I can make a choice from an advantageous position.

I emailed my folks asking for advice about this, even though I know what they're going to say (OMFG APPLY!!!!1). It's not really a question of applying, but what to do if/when I'm offered the job so I suppose I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

xp K8s and I were talking about going to see u guys

lol there's somebody from the vehicle birth in the headlining band too, total dc-area emopunk supergroup

total dc-area emopunk supergroup

They should tour under that name.

I randomly ended up kicking it with some of the d plan dudes at a festival once, and their running joke for the day was about the surprise reunion set by a totally obscure but hugely influential (and 100% fictional) emo band called October's Broken Sweater.

travis went to william & mary, he was in the "punk frat." this was before my time there.

one of the formative live shows in my life was dismemberment plan (right around the release of ...is terrified), chisel (ted leo's old band, which i still prefer to his solo stuff), and trusty (an undeservedly forgotten pop band on dischord) at the 9:30 club. i've probably talked about this show before. it was probably the first indie rock show i went to and i knew nothing about any of the bands.

Dan, can you get us a 4-bedroom place in the U.P. with that severence package, and we can all go there and eat ramen 'til the economy recovers?

Hm maybe. It might be a bit of a drive to pick up the ramen though.

http://www.realestate-mls.com/detail.cgi?viewonlyno=125-08-0253

http://www.realestate-mls.com/detail.cgi?viewonlyno=125-08-0255

There are at least a dozen under $50k on that site alone.

dang

Full unfinished basement for band practice. Can't we buy food from Amazon or something?

buy guns off amazon, start huntin' & fishin'

My dad has guns we could use.

This might be it, guys.

http://www.realestate-mls.com/detail.cgi?viewonlyno=125-08-0138

Sell crap to tourists out of the first floor, live upstairs.

38K for 5,724 square feet, hmm, hmm...We get John on board, and Kr can open her soup shop.

And when the North/Clybourn corridon has become an abandoned, burned-out strip, we will be wearing our furs and eating sausage (or Neuske bacon from down the road).

I know right where that building is too, it's about 3 blocks from Shute's 1890 Bar where N/S, J & I had a beer and watched the snow fall really hard.

^^^EZ I bet you would *LOVE* that bar

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2080/1629060981_90f11dc8bf.jpg

OH NICE. And that sure looks like a pool table in the back there.

Yep. Table shuffleboard too. That's an orig. Tiffany awning over the bar, too.

Also it's right next door to this: http://www.calumettheatre.com/

OK I'm done talking about Calumet

We get the burlesque gals to relocate with us, and they can do the midnight show there.

oh yeah that bar was awesome, all kinds of crazy old photos all over the place

If you like good food, good fun, and a whole lot of…crazy crap on the walls, then come on down to Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag!

I loved that bar.

Hey Kenan, I don't know if you're in the market, but in the course of my Northwestern job searching I noticed that they just posted a Web Designer opening a couple of days ago.

WEEKEND WEEKEND WEEKENEDNENEWEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!

:D:D::D:D:D:D

whooooooooooooo

hey I'm going to see FFs tonight so be there unless you're already going to be there because you're in the band in which case see u then

hey kinda last minute but im djing in logan this saturday if someone wants to go it will be a good party w/ lots of pretty people, let me know if anyone is interested

Hey, thanks dan! Yeah, I kinda want (need) a regular get-up-every-morning kinda gig. Freelancing is ok, but man... self-motivation. I'm really good at making the clients very happy, and a few days late.

Can you email me that posting, if you know where it is offhand? If not I'll find it.

I found it. :)

Sweet. Man, their jobs site suuuuuuuucks. So awkward and slow.

It is. Awkward I have a fighting chance at, but I can only dream about fixing slow. That's usually not anyone's fault except the person in charge of buying more servers and bandwidth. Cheap bastards.

Which reminds me, what the hell is wrong with Flickr lately? It's been slower than old people fuckin'.

Hey, I've posted about the Fire a bunch of times now, and if no one responds, well, this will probably be the last time. If you've ever been interested in taking in a game (or two) now is the best chance you're going to have to do so cheaply anytime soon.

For the final regular season game (10/23), and the first home playoff game (date TBD), there is a special deal. For $30 you get two tickets to *each* game, plus a donation to the Nothing But Nets anti-malaria organization. To put it in perspective, a single ticket to one of those games would be $15. These are not magnificent seats, but it is a nice stadium and there are no bad views.

If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll pass along the relevant details. We can probably coordinate rides and stuff, too. Come!

pub quiz tomorrow?

???

d@n and i are headed to schuba's to see big science and office tonight. show's at night, and it's free, if anyone else is interested.

show's at night

9 at night, to be exact

Today K8E and Jenny and I went to Oak Park and ate all sorts of wonderful, wonderful cheese, and some pretty decent wine. I was reticent to get a cheddar b/c it seems so ordinary, but that's only b/c I usually buy Kraft, and not the 10-year-aged stuff, which is all that is good about cheddar, plus nuances like a citrusy taste and little crystals that crunch lightly when you bite into them.

Also, we had some decadent triple cream soemthings and a rich, spicy, and buttery blue. For dessert, bacon-chocolate.

I am on ILX.

You guys don't post as much as you used to.

Was that Marion Street Cheese Market? A cheesemonger friend of mine gave me some aged cheddar from there that blew my mind.

I would've seen Big Science/Office if I wasn't already going to Mountain Goats/Kaki King. J0hn D. was funny and charming on stage, but man, do I love Kaki King's music, and it was a treat to see her live finally. (Best Mtn. Goats song was actually a collaboration with her.)

As for tomorrow, I was thinking about seeing the Arthur Russell documentary at the Siskel Center after work ... but I wouldn't be opposed to pub quiz instead.

Big Science sounds like a kind of dancier version of Minus the Bear

ps I am "probable" for pub quiz

pps the crowd at the Globe on a FIFA match day is pretty crazy

I was also at the Mountain Goats / Kaki King show! First time seeing MG as a full band, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Though I was a bit disappointed that they didn't get a chance to play "lovecraft in brooklyn" -- I craved the rock. I bought the mg/kaki king 12" despite that fact that I don't have a record player.

i wanted to go to office/big science but i don't go to shows anymore

First two rounds at the Globe tonight:

1. Arrested Development (ahem, Nick)
2. English Premier League (ahem, Dan)

is it literally about arrested development? or is that some fake jokey name for some other b.s.? if it's really about AD, i could probably actually contribute something this week

Hi. I am here today. I am bossless all week.

Well, the name of the round is Dampened Over Letters, which I anagrammed into Arrested Development. I suppose it could be about the early '90s rap group, but given Quizmaster Dave's proclivities, I'm guessing it's about the TV show.

Full rounds:

1) Dampened Over Letters 12 pts
2) Hulling Preemies Agree 11 pts
3) Match- First Lines 13 pts
4) Chemical State Round 16 pts
5) Dead Or Canadian- Red vs Blue 11 pts
6) Picture Round 15 pts
7) General Knowledge

I suppose it is too much to hope that "Red vs Blue" has something to do with electoral maps.

ok well i am down if anyone else is

2. English Premier League (ahem, Dan)

This could either be pretty good or very bad. Does the second round usually have a theme question style? I can't recall.

What do you mean by theme question style?

I guess I meant like "Dead or Canadian"'s one-answer-or-the-other questions, or how the first round always seems to be anagrams. I dunno, you seem to have researched it a bit and I wasn't sure. If it's like the only other time I did the quiz where it was matching the EPL team to their stadium, I probably won't do so hot.

Oh, no, I think it's just straight-up questions.

And, fwiw, the first round isn't anagrams. The name of the round is just anagrammed in the e-mail he sends out.

The "Chemical States" round involves forming words based on the abbreviations for chemical elements (as on the periodic table) and for states (as designated by the USPS). So for example, Missouri + Boron = MOB.

Oh right, I remember the Chemical one from last time.

I'm in.

START THINKING OF HILARIOUS NAMES FOR OUR GROUP NOW

Dick Blick's Flick Picks

also it might be good if we could convince some other people to come, it's easier if you have more people

Dear Newish Workplace,
It would be nice if you told me before you hired me that I would not be allowed to take any time off around Christmas aside from the holidays already set.
Secondly, I do not like it that you said I could only have Christmas Eve off tentatively (and then I was informed by someone else that probably means no).
Thirdly, I do not like it that one of my coworkers just scolded me for even ASKING for that day off because she already did and apparently we are not allowed to both be off the same day.
DUMB.

Seriously, I feel much better now.

I will not be at pub quiz, but I will cheer you all from a few blocks away.

What is it that you're going to be needed for around Xmas that is so important?

Eric, yes it was the Marion St. cheese place.

Gifts/charitable contributions/that sort of thing.

Had the mac and cheese at the Marion Street Cheese Market a few weeks ago. Four kinds of cheese and bacon. Heaven.

dang sarah, that sounds like borderline cruelty, but i guess it's forgiven if they also give you an xmas bonus?

I haven't had any luck recruiting anyone else for the Globe.

No bonus. No party. Too bad so sad.

oh man. i'm sorry.

did you already have plane tix?

No. I actually knew most of this about a month ago. I just got the word to the wise today from the coworker who already asked for that day off.

So, yeah, I actually DO have plane tix, but Nick and I will be arriving laaate Christmas Eve.

i emailed max about quiz but haven't heard back

ok, well at least it doesn't screw up your plans then. I still have no idea what we're doing. I'm hoping it doesn't involve plane tickets. Driving sort of sounds like fun. I guess. :-/

Well, it does screw up my plans in that I always spend a full week with the fam. Though I guess it will matter more next year when it's my side of the family. ha ha

Max would be good.

Of local, legal, and lethal interest: http://abajournal.com/magazine/bringing_lawyers_guns_and_money/

Sorry, Sarah. If it's any consolation, post-merger, our firm is no longer absurdly flexible like they used to be, so we only get X-mas eve day and Xmas day off. Which is not the END of the world for me, since I don't go home for holidays usually anyway. Because I haven't got one. Because it's not my home, it's their home and I'm welcome no more.

And usually I feel more fulfilled making Christmas cards with the mentally ill.

We finished third, woo-hoo.

M@tttttt's response to the highest goal scorer in the EPL: "Alan Shearer? I would have never gotten that."

http://www.melbournecinematheque.org/2007/special/images/leemarvin.jpghttp://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/theworks/071011/wirtz.jpg

Lee Marvin, Bill Wirtz

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1243/1106917090_5d6c5d3679.jpg?v=0http://z.about.com/d/womenshistory/1/0/0/B/mamie_eisenhower.jpg

Jean Stapleton, Mamie Eisenhower

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/1480/mariluhenner32pi.jpghttp://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/0/w/7/jtfd15b.jpg

Marilu Henner, Julie Hagerty

fucking bill wirtz, I was so sure that was lee marvin

although the larger pic here does highlight the differences

I'm thinking the key to this quiz is to be on the email list, research the shit out of the early rounds as much as possible and score points early, then ride it out to the end.

Way to go, you guys!!

So, who is having a Halloween party?

jaymc u should have seen the arthur russell movie - i went last nite, it was great

i was actually thinking of julie hagerty but i never would have remembered her name, unfortunately

Yeah, I thought about trying to do both, but probably wouldn't have made it to trivia in time (if only the Irving Park station were open). Hopefully it will be released on DVD at some point.

this is weird, i was up late last night with a 100 degree fever, stomach cramps, aches, etc., and i was convinced that i was in for a couple days of the flu and that i wouldn't be able to play my gig tonight.

now i wake up and my temperature is back to normal and i feel generally okay, but i don't really trust it. is it possible to have the flu just for an evening?

i'm not sure about your question, but i did learn about a special diet that is supposed to help with food poisoning: BRAT (bananas, rice, apples, toast) and nothing else til symptoms go away. it was in this "superfeast" book i got from the library. it's all about maximizing nutritional content.

I use the BRAT diet whenever I am pukey sick as a general reintroduction to food.

How is superfeast?
Hey, I'm listening to Goblin, by the way!

i think it's pretty good, even though it's written by a britisher and the recipes have weird (haha) measurements. i like the explanations of the nutritional benefits of various foods and the suggestions for allergies, cancer, stomach ailments seem pretty good to me. i wouldn't buy it, but reading it has been educational. i didn't know about the BRAT thing, for instance.

in other news, it's a good month for goblin. (then again, any month is a good month for goblin!)

I am in a Halloweeny mood, for obvious reasons. I added a bunch of horror pix to our netflix. I also dug out a Halloween Party mix '05 to listen to at home tonight.

the BRAT thing is kinda common sense, right? bland foods that won't test your stomach too much?

i don't have any fruit but i'm going to go make some tosat.

well sure, and of course i am not feeding myself panang curry when i have stomach troubles, but i think there's something special about bananas, rice, apples and toast? i dunno. i just had never heard that before. my mom was not exactly at the head of the nutritional bandwagon.

My mom made me eat shark cartilage.

!

my mom fed me "coca cola syrup" when i was sick. supposedly it helped with nausea? i have my doubts.

i also got the coke syrup.

My grandmother made me hot toddies.

grandma had the right idea.

hey so where are we having the halloween party guys
who's gonna volunteer their pad? mine is dq'ed on account of shitty neighbors and excessive northernliness.

Anyone? Anyone? Jesse? Jesse?

I would like to, but I'm kind of in the middle of tearing up my kitchen floor! I suppose people could see fit to ignore it. And if someone else planned it.

Coke syrup or flat coke is supposed to be very good for nausea.

http://4windsofheaven.myfundraisingplace.com/images/stories/4winds.gif

Finally, I know what tattoo I want to get.^^^

That would make a sweet back piece.

Especially if it moved, Ray Bradbury stylee.

i voted today! good use of a sick morning. and there was a farmer's market outside city hall, so i thought of amanda's advice and got an apple muffin.

The waving arms of the doomed sinners is by far my favorite part of that gif. I wish the creator had seen fit to make the two side-heads nod up and down. Then the picture would truly be perfection in the eyes of God.

that reminds me of mattttttttt's facebook avatar

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v336/77/33/6604964/n6604964_31572718_2366.jpg

I guess just because it is awesome and religulolus

wow

good lord

i am making oatmeal cookies. anyone have any secrets?

i killed somebody

wow that is a crazy secret

but not exactly what i was looking for, smarty jones.

no cookies for you

wokka wokka

my cookies turned out ok. i am worried that my butter is bad, though. sometimes i worry that i can't taste these things, and then when i give the cookies away everyone's like BLECCCH OLD BUTTER.

btw one of my students used the word "butthurt" in class the other day.

Sounds like the German word for hemherroids.

Mornin'.

Jesse's having a Falloween get-together on November 1, he just found out!

Congrats!

i think everyone should dress up as a different joe/jo. female joe options:

jo pulnecek
jo from little women
other jo

I suspect there will be a few Joe the Plumbers out and about.

joe six pack is the easiest

...and the most beloved, next to Joe Case of Beer or Joe Whiskey Bottle

And Joe Mama.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HKXNNT53L._SS500_.jpg

dressing up as a joe would take the stress out of halloween planning, at least

http://members.aol.com/waponi/joe-versus-the-volcano-movie-poster.jpg

Last one, I promise.
http://www.foureyesjokeshop.com/ProductImages/Super_Caf_Coffee_Halloween_Costume.jpg

^^86 this lady please

Diane Sawyer is totally, totally a hottie.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/6259/dianesawyer34copy263vb1.jpg

Obama Election Night partay in Grant Park, Lolla style.

wow, she is hot. i always thought she was pretty but dang.

is it possible that oatmeal cookies are giving me heartburn?

heartburn --> not hot.

Glad that Diane Sawyer could be a pallette-cleanser after the coffee lady.

I have a seriously disturbing crush on DS and on Catherine Keener.

I need to tell someone:

It makes me absolutely nuts that my bosses only know how to open files by opening them from their program, e.g., they're looking for a Word file, they open up a new Word document from the desktop, go to File - Open, and then to the shared drive. They have no concept of My Computer. One boss still tries to open PDFs from Word. adslkfsdaf;l

We are here for you, Jesse.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20081016/i/r1772410910.jpg?x=400&y=303&q=85&sig=14VeZ1i8CUsxeyG4fnGe4A--

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/7672/mccainlickcopyqn7.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20081016/capt.1924228c0ff44e7fa21291e052c2c7ca.presidential_debate_nyts143.jpg?x=400&y=333&q=85&sig=80NPuzvTB6Mp6w2nNTukmA--

Courtesy of Chris P|um@

99% SFW - La Pequena Sarah Palin.

I am so not clicking that.

It really is SFW and it's hilarious in a mind-boggling way.

I came here to say that I just realized that our printer/copier can STAPLE things. !!!!!!

get out

I knew such things were possible, but I thought we didn't have such capability. Everything has changed.

99% SFW - La Pequena Sarah Palin.

Someone call David Lynch.

"99% SFW"

Good song/recored title.

sarah and i are thinking of maybe trying the violet hour tonight - would anyone else be interested? we'd probably aim for like 6:30 or so to avoid crowded times

Come on!

Ordinarily I would be interested, but I probably have to be at work until 7, and I also feel like I've spent a lot of money this week already. Thanks for the invite, though.

I'm catching a bus at 10 PM so I'm taking a nap after work.

Where's that bus heading?

Toronto!

Sweet. I would like to go back to Toronto. The only time I've been there was when I was eight years old. Maybe one of these days I'll make it to the film festival.

Ooh!!

How much is will it be round trip on the bus? How long will it take?

How much is WILL IT BE???

It's a package deal: the bus ride and a ticket to the Fire v. TFC game for the sum total of One Benjamin. Hotel not included. TFC games are very popular and hard/expensive to get into, so it's a decent deal.

Do they call it "soccer" in Canada?

That's a great deal.

well the team is called Toronto FC so you figure it out lol

Also on my agenda: strolling Kensington Market, tracking down some of 3-4 museums my dad suggested, possible jaunt to hockey hall of fame.

You guys, I am drinking decaf coffee for the second day in a row, on account of the fact that I ran out of tea, and the trace amounts of caffeine are making me jumpy.

...Football Club?

Also, thanks for allowing me the opportunity to be self-reliant rather than just giving me an answer.

xp

If you want to find any bands or such, pick up a copy of this paper. Kensington Market is definitely fun, and College Street (on the north end of it) is a good one to wander on as well. Soundscapes is a little indie record store near there.

If McCain and Palin win, I may just find a Canuck bride and head up there.

(Her, maybe?)

I learned from the New York magazine profile of Nate Silver that he wrote a short-lived blog called The Burrito Bracket in which he quantitatively analyzed burritos at Wicker Park taquerias and created a seeded tournament format to determine the best burrito in the area. It looks like he didn't finish, though.

decaf coffee has more caffeine than tea?

More caffeine than non-caffeinated/herbal tea, yes.

u so sensitive!

I know!

request: can anyone help me find an short, uncomplicated explanation of the ledbetter v goodyear case/its relevance? i want to talk about it tomorrow in class but i can't seem to find a suitable introductory reading.

What about her convention speech?
http://www.demconvention.com/lily-ledbetter/

This is the best article I found about the case and especially its relevance, but it's from the New Yorker so maybe not ideal:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/09/15/080915ta_talk_surowiecki

I guess the convention speech might be inappropriate in a classroom if it made you look like you were endorsing Obama.

wonderful-- i am actually trying to train them to look for bias as well, so the speech is good.

Ledbelly vs. Guthrie?

Can anyone tell me why a group of 75-100 or so men wearing identical navy blue sweatsuits and doing call-and-response chanting just jogged by my office on Jackson? They were followed by an ambulance.

sounds like some sort of fire or police department training/initiation thing

Yeh, I think you might be right. When I first heard them the first thing that came to mind was that there was a KKK rally (LOL 11 years in NC....), but they sounded too organized.

i like violet hour. it wasn't as snobby as i was afraid it might be, aside from the unmarked door and silly velvet curtains we had to pass through to get in. the drinks were good too.

first i had this:

Dark & Stormy
Cruzan Black Strap, Brugal Anejo, Lime, House Made Ginger Syrup

which was really good - very gingery.

then i had this:

The Orchard
Laird's Bonded Applejack, Lemon, Blis Maple Syrup, Pimento Dram

which i didn't like as much, it was too tart for me.

then we all shared this:

Maloney's Irish Cream
Powers, Ardbeg 10yr, Cream, Orange Flower Water

which was amazing - simultaneously sweet and creamy and very very smoky.

then sarah and i came home and watched about half an hour of jaws before falling asleep at 10:30, lol old

this violet hour place sounds pretty amazing. though I seemingly sometimes have difficulty leaving the neighborhood.

I love dark and stormies so much, or anything with excessive ginger really.

it's a straight shot on the damen bus to the violet hour, should be an easy trip

god i am so broke right now, but i love the violet hour. did they give you your dark and stormy with a big old slab of ice that ran from the top to the bottom of the cup? <3

y

i love that! i guess i could make that ice at home...somehow...

i got the fried peanut butter + banana sandwich there once. guys, they battered a peanut butter and banana sandwich. and fried it!

wait, so that's molasses, rum, lime and ginger? that sounds good. i've never heard of a dark and stormy.
pb+nanner+fried sounds so good.

i report that i have a v short haircut that falls somewhere between
http://www.svcn.com/archives/saratoganews/12.06.00/gifs/terry-gross-0049.jpg

and

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_03_img1335.jpg

sadly now that i look at both of the photos, the only real difference is in the prettiness/youthfulness of their faces.

finally, me with ghostly bags under my eyes

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2950582914_5391b2c216_m.jpg

happppy halloween y'all

aw it looks awesome, Amanda! i feel like i had an intuition of the celebrity who most resembles you looking at that picture but i lost it. i will try to retrieve it.

1. Nice hair! It's very right for you.

2. Violent Hour was pretty great - I was very pleasantly surprised by their cocktail creations.

3. Six Flags today was:
- exhausting
- terrifying
- and last but absolutely not least, a violation of the finances

Best: the Raging Bull's initial drop scared me nigh unto pants-shitting, and it's a nice looong ride.
Most disappointing: The Dark Knight darkened indoor rolly coaster was so-so. Afterward we all agreed had to wait nearly 3 hours like the commoners*, we would have been pissed.

* the financial violation isn't limited to entrance and food costs; we bought the Flash Pass, Gold version, which allowed us to reserve a spot in line through an electronic device, and show up at the front of the appointed time. We wouldn't have bothered with it, but it was insanely busy, and while expensive, it was wonderfully effective.

Then we ate brain-meltingly hot Indian food on Devon.

violet hour is awesome & i love the gimmick of it

I had to search "Chicago head" to find the thread.

Via a friend of a friend:

I don’t usually do this, but circumstances compel me to remind you that there will be a referendum on the November 4th ballot asking whether the State of Illinois legislature should hold a CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, to change the state’s constitution.

A political scientist I know, in fact several poli. scis plus some economists in this state, say it is NOT a good idea for the following reasons:

1. A constitutional convention would cost an estimated $100,000, which the state doesn’t have.

2. The constitution can be amended as is, without having to have an entire convention or new constitution.

3. There are rumored to be special interests on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE that want the convention, and it is doubtful that their wishes are in the best interests of the public at large.

4. Consider who would be In charge of the convention. It would be the same folks who couldn’t get their act together to provide a budget, and can’t get along with each other.

I’m just passing this information on to you. Vote as you wish.

I'm gonna vote on Saturday, I've decided.

http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/historybrf/images/cons1787.jpg

We're paying for those outfits with our 10.25%.

can we just have a pogrom on the legislature instead plz

that was probably not the best word to use

srsly though, bunch of ineffective bastards

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n53/n268209.jpg

This looks potentially interesting -- short stories set in post-9/11 Chicago.

Kr's friend (and my co-worker) Melissa did an interview with that dude in this week's TOC.

I WANT TO PUNCH A FUCKING CUSTOMER SERVICE REP IN THE THROAT.

Over the past two weeks I've spent around 4 hours a day on the phone with various assholes trying to get various merger-related updates done, and I'm at the end of my rope.

also, i'm hungry again.

i just got an email from our other office requesting employee info for a personnel file. one field is "Pets:"

that seems valid, since everyone seems to keep their pets at your office.

Another is "Birth Defects:"

xp lol

on our employee info sheet some of the people who have been around longer have things like "favorite ice cream flavor" and "alter ego." fortunately they ended this practice before i was hired so mine is just boring stuff like address and phone no.

I wouldn't mind fave ice cream. Alter-ego would be uncomfortable.

The smooth jazz hold music has really calmed my nerves.

Favorite ice cream: rum raisin
alter-ego: me, but drunk

i don't think i have a favorite ice cream.

! The firm's main phone number got slammed. This explains a lot.

I'm not a big ice cream guy in general, but living around the corner from Margie's this summer made it hard to say no to an after-dinner cone every once in a while. Of course, they only have about a dozen flavors, so I usually got cookies and cream.

a very good ice cream flavor that i recommend to you all is caramel cone by haagen daaz.

i think my favorite is butter pecan, maybe, though, because it is a classic.

i like ice cream (i mean who hates ice cream), but i find it pretty easy to say no to. admirable ice cream flavors:

coffee
vanilla
butter pecan
pistachio

i like spicy/peppery ice cream too, when i can find it.

those are all good flavors. i find that though i love chocolate and i love ice cream, chocolate ice cream is underwhelming.

I favor the many variants of Mackinac Island Fudge: vanilla, mint, amaretto cherry, peanut butter, etc.

i find that though i love chocolate and i love ice cream, chocolate ice cream is underwhelming.

^^^truth bomb

i've been into the darkest of dark chocolate lately. that's all i need for a little dessert.

Yeah. I remember as a kid I took a weird pride in preferring vanilla ice cream to chocolate, like it made me some kind of rebel or something.

I also once had cinnamon ice cream from Peterson's in Oak Park that was seriously the best thing ever.

what is this mackinac island fudge and where can i get it?

xpost are you saying i am challopsing, john? cinnamon ice cream sounds AMAZING.

Cinnamon, peanut-butter-and-chocolate, raspberry chocolate chip...

http://www.chadneth.com/Ice_Cream_Man.jpg
not a big ice cream guy

yeah i was a freak because i preferred vanilla over chocolate and water over soda as a kid.

man, i wish i could come into chicago this friday and hang out before doing that parade on saturday, but i have to give another dude a ride saturday morning, which means no time for fun. ;_;

The AT&T rep, who I got into a yelling match with, just asked if I thought we could go grab a cocktail after we were done with our call :)

Mackinac Island Fudge is made by Jilbert's Dairy in Marquette, MI, so I don't know if it's for sale outside the UP/Northern WI. Also I guess the dairy has been sold so who knows if it's being made anymore. It is what it sounds like, ice cream of various flavors rippled with solid and soft pieces of fudge. I'm "not a big ice cream guy" too, but it's pretty badass, esp. the cherry and peanut butter kinds.

!

xp

how did that happen?

ice cream of various flavors rippled with solid and soft pieces of fudge

okay that sounds amazing.

RIPPLED

Jordan - she was just referring to the fact that we had been through a lot together today on our 2:10 phone call (so far).

telemarketing stockholm syndrome

RIPPLED

I plagiarized that from a description I found on the web lol

I blew a gasket at someone yesterday. It felt pretty invigorating.

yeah i can't remember the last time i yelled at someone, maybe it would be good for me.

Do you ever have the experience of having a smoldering dislike/hate of someone, until one day the fur flies, and poof! suddenly you bond over your mutual hatred. I can think of two occasions, one involving screaming at/with Robin Ru550 in the middle of G@n@che during a busy Saturday night shift.

i have never done that, but it sounds cathartic!

pretty sure that only happens on tv/movies

Another time a girl at Catch and I had a Joan and Bette moment during a busy shift. Later we were on the elevator and it stalled for a second and we tried to continue to be bitchy, but then we laughed at how awful it would be to be trapped in the elevator with someone we hated so much.

Jesse lives in a movie

Ha - she has me on a loooong hold, and just came back and said, "Jesse? Are you OK?"

Uh, the AT&T girl, not the elevator girl...

aw!

my favorite easily available ice cream flavor is ben & jerry's creme brulee but the best ice cream i have ever had was salted caramel at the place in san francisco that jody recommended (i have a thing for caramel-y flavors, in case you can't tell). normally even when i'm eating ice cream i like, i've had enough after a couple of scoops, but i felt like i could have eaten that salted caramel ice cream forever, probably because the salt balanced out the sweetness.

Sometimes it's helpful just to air feelings. Take the object of your animosity to a bar and tell him how no one likes him. It makes you feel better.

when i was a kid i liked the bubblegum flavor that had ACTUAL GUMBALLS in it because after you were done eating the ice cream you ended up with a huge wad of gum in your mouth (totally flavorless at this point)

I'll just tell you guys the story in person sometime. All I know is that I would've smouldered and been distracted if I hadn't blown up. It started with my asking "Do you have a problem with me?" (we're in a dark theater with a bunch of actors onstage and a bunch of other people in the audience) and ended a good five minutes later.

that sounds great.

Having to whisper angrily.

Sometimes it's helpful just to air feelings. Take the object of your animosity to a bar and tell him how no one likes him. It makes you feel better.

lol

Nick, i think you would like caramel cone!

http://www.phoood.com/weblog/hdcaramel.jpg

Eric - that could make a good piece of fiction/drama.

if it has caramel in it i would probably like it

a major source of conflict in my relationship with sarah is that she likes ice cream that's like "triple brownie hot fudge choco-explosion with chocolate chips" and i tend to prefer just a little chocolate, if any

i live with my sister and she is always trying to convince me to buy peanut butter flavored ice cream with chunks of peanut butter and drizzled with peanut sauce. we have to buy separate ice creams.

whoa that peanut butter ice cream sounds great

you people all have a hormonal imbalance or something

jesse accidentally came up with the concept for the peanut butter burrito on friday

we decided that would probably be too much peanut butter

it would be kind of weird if me and your sister shared the same hormonal imbalance. but i don't know your sister

fudgenabbit i was supposed to spend this time getting started on a paper for school or reading the book i checked out from the library but instead i posted about ice cream on ilx

Yeah, I didn't whisper it -- I stopped everything mid-run and yelled at this guy for five minutes, and everyone else was quiet. I've never done that before, but it had to happen.

http://images.inmagine.com/img/imagezoo/iz045/iz045003.jpg

I want a bowl of ice cream half-curated by Sarah and half-curated by 'shoe's sister.

For some reason I feel like I've had a Thai-like peanut-sauce burrito. Qdoba or something?

when you were a kid did you polish off a pound of reese's peanut butter cups at a time? she did that.

zposts

now i kind of want to be mad at someone and yell at them, but i'm home alone.

when you were a kid did you polish off a pound of reese's peanut butter cups at a time?

yes

now i kind of want to be mad at someone and yell at them, but i'm home alone.

is there a cat around?

Victory's Banner has this:

Coconut-Peanut Veggie Wrap $7.25
Broccoli, red pepper, mushroom, onion and zucchini simmered in a coconut-peanut sauce with grilled tofu and brown rice, then wrapped up in a spinach tortilla

when you were a kid did you polish off a pound of reese's peanut butter cups at a time?

naw

i haven't really yelled at anyone in a long while either, except for maybe in traffic-related situations.

no cats, but i do have road rage. maybe i should take a spin.

Eric, I must have misread. I thought you were in the audience watching a play!

xxxp

The AT&T gal and I exchanged an unusually long goodbye, including apologies and compliments (her: "You're such a trooper, I couldn't have done it without you on the line to help me.")

this all totally sounds like a romantic comedy, Jesse

i've had a peanut butter burrito! it was DELISH. it was black beans, rice, tofu and spicy peanut sauce. f yeah it was good.

maybe something else i can't remember b/c this was like 7 years ago

i think we were talking about a burrito filled entirely with peanut butter. that's what i was envisioning anyways

that sounds good. it's not a tortilla made out of peanut butter wrapped around peanuts smothered in peanut butter and covered with spicy thai peanut sauce, which my sister would probably like.

xpost hah nick

those salted nut rolls are really good.

http://www.taquitos.net/im/sn/Pearson-SaltedNut.jpg

yeah i like those too, actually.

now i could go for either a grilled peanut butter sandwich or some African peanut stew.

those nut rolls are gross.

i think the grossness is part of the appeal

http://www.sugarstand.com/images/sc/sc0087d.jpg

i loooove those hot and spicy peanuts they sell in little cellophane tubes at convenience stores.

those are pretty gross
but so salty and spicy

peanut butter burger

you guys are killing me

That's a Payday? That looks pretty good.

paydays are in my top five things to get out of a vending machine

Payday is my go-to candy bar.

I had an omlette at Orange last year that was chicken and peanut sauce, nom nom nom.

i am eating healthy. today:

black coffee
strawberries
eggo whole-grain waffles with honey (no butter)
leftover southwestern potato and corn soup
granny smith apple
la croix sparkling water (cran-raspberry flavor) <- lovin' these

if i had planned better, i would have had the strawberries on the eggos

what should i do with some good leftover pizza sauce (but no dough)? pizza sandwich? pizza quesadilla?

pizza sub?

scrambled eggs + pizza sauce + mozzarella cheese + hot pepper flakes

today i've had:

eggo nutri-grain waffle
black coffee
brat
salad
miniature reese's cup
chocolate chip granola bar

Butter on pancakes/waffles is gross, anyway.

nick that's so crazy it just might work

with a nice crusty rolle

olde tyme spelling yo

i'll make like an italian breakfast burrito

xp

Butter on pancakes/waffles is gross, anyway.

^^this is like the essence of crazy talk

i don't have rolls but do have tortillas, i'ma do it

xp

Today:

granola with soy milk
orange juice
decaf black coffee
spaghetti (ft. spinach, red bell pepper, mushrooms, capers, and Swiss cheese)
baby carrots

Will probably also have a banana in like an hour.

i've had
coffee
two slices of crustless quiche (spinach + cheddar, one for breakfast and one for lunch)
apple
half of a gross cookie
piece of orange-cardamom cake
and a thwarted attempt to buy cheez-its from the vending machine at work which i guess all turned out for the best

tuesday night is PHO NITE. am excited.

Butter on pancakes/waffles is gross, anyway.

^^this is like the essence of crazy talk

Ha, I think maybe I have a low tolerance for butter? I never even liked it on rolls/bread until adulthood. And buttercream frosting is too much for me sometimes; I have a hard time enjoying some cupcakes because of it.

that is a very sad story, but your spaghetti sounds v. delicious, so there appear to be compensations.

-Coffee w/ skim milk
-Dry almonds

No wonder I'm hungry...

i have been eating marshmallows all day. i think it's making me a little hyper.

hey does anyone have election night returns-watching plans? i don't know if i want to be in public or not...depends on how things go. i was thinking of moody's.

i even have some italian sausage and mushrooms, this "burrito" is going to be dope

There is a guy here at work who appears to have the same lunch every day (he eats in the kitchen while reading the newspaper): a sandwich (not sure what kind), a carton of milk, and a Tupperware container filled with apple slices, spinach leaves, and almonds. I go back and forth between admiring his healthiness and finding it all incredibly depressing.

i was thinking of moody's.

They don't have TVs there, do they?

I've been invited to an election night party but am not sure if I will go or not. May depend on when Kr and I get back from Iowa.

yeah they do have TVs there!

They've got a TV right inside the front door. I watched part of Mr. 3000, starring Bernie Mac, on that TV.

The Neo-Futurists are having something election night -- I may go to that, but if not am down for whatever.

apple
water
turkey/pastrami/m. jack/lto/some kind of 1000 islandesque sauce sandwich
root beer
pickle

this is me in Toronto looking on from above as a fight happens in front of me

oops

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2955642036_5331c2b056.jpg

o i c u

W/r/t election night: Jenny emailed me something about a big (really big) to-do in Grant Park. I would like to do that.

Today I ate:

tea 9 a.m. (I know, I know - I'm out of coffee and had to use Luzianne)
macaroni salad 12:00 noon
Whole Foods salad (ft. mixed greens, bacon, blue chz, bell peppers)
Cinnamon Life w/ 1%
5 Wheat Thins (ran out ;__;)

The heat is not on in my apartment and I'm cold.

hey u guys im co-djing a big loft/dance party (probably v. big) this saturday nite if anyone is interested. it will basically be classic disco and hipster-y disco (i lean towards the former but u know). if anyone's interested i can email them the flier.

dont mean to sound impersonal nor that i use this board for self-promotional purposes so i will say that ive been a long-time MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP fan and i totally agree that vanilla > chocolate and have always thought so - however i did tend to be a sucker for fudgsicles (sp jaymc?) as a kid.

im actually not in chi at the moment (volunteering for O in ohio) but if its as cold there as it is here, <3 fall

o yeah the party is free and there will be lots of beer in keg-form available for something like $3/cup

Oh man I would go to that dance party if I weren't doing a play this weekend.

Dan looks like he's in a Jeff Wall photograph.

ive been a long-time MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP fan

That's actually what I got last time I was at Margie's. And I think you spelled Fudgsicle correctly.

E-mail me the flyer, deej. All's I got going on for Saturday is dinner with my dad in the West Loop; might be looking for something to do later.

im inviting you on fbook jaymc

add me too please, i will probably wuss out but it sounds fun right now

Since there is a pizza thread on ILX right now, I should probably admit that I've been to the Chicago branch of Ian's maybe four or five times now, and I've been kind of underwhelmed. What I can't tell is whether it's objectively not as good as the Madison branch, or whether the difference is being drunk at 1 AM vs. grabbing a slice for dinner before seeing a show at iO.

^ challenging opinion

i value the one time we went to ian's in madison as an experience but i'd really rather have regular pizza or regular mac and cheese than mac and cheese pizza again. sorry jordan.

that pizza thread is making me want pizza a lot.

that's okay. i will have to try chicago ian's sometime to a/b them.

i made that egg/mozz/sausage/red pepper/pizza sauce burrito last night and it was pretty good!

i had one of these:

http://www.quorn.us/PageComponents/NonStandard/Products/Images/ProductImages/152_Medium.jpg

which looks weird but i cooked it up with some dry bbq seasoning and added bbq sauce and it was pretty godo

that is a fake chicken cutlet btw

day off chilaquiles = NOM

what I have had to eat today so far, by S.A.

* coffee black
* oatmeal prepared with vanilla soy milk, golden raisins, cinnamon, and a wee bit o' brown sugar
* trail mix
* froze consisting of potatoes, cheese, broc
* small honeycrisp apple

n/a loves fake food

I love the food listing game!

Also, I love honeycrisps.

- tea again
- coffee
- blechy lemon yogurt
- cheesesteak w/ onions and peppers from Philly's Best
- 2 mini Reeses PB cups

that pizza thread drove me to Santullo's and now i am uncomfortably full

i like fake things.

i am trying to rewrite the lyrics for one of our songs and i've decided that this is even harder than writing lyrics from scratch

There's a particular kind of full that one could call the Santullo's Full.

the Fake Foods

i always get two slices and then am all "i've made a huge mistake."

xpost

santullo's slice=lol hueg

Huge but deceptively unfilling after one slice. Maybe a slice and an apple would do the trick. I love a lunchtime slice there with the good daylight and a booth and the NY Times.

is there anywhere decent to grab lunch at near state & lake (or else real close to the freeway on the way out of town)? i'll be there on saturday and it would be nice to avoid another meal at the belvedere oasis.

i know! maybe next time i will ask for one and a half slices? life is so hard.

xpost

There's a Potbelly right on that corner. There's Pastoral, around the corner on Lake, which has fancy cheese sandwiches, I think. There's other OK fast foodish stuff (Jimmy Johns, Chipotle) within a few blocks.

fancy cheese sandwiches sound about right

hannah's bretzel is good, jordan

oh shit, that's by hannah's? i love that place.

i think it's near there ... if it's in the loop, it's not going to be too far away

looks like less than 3 blocks away, that is the plan.

Check their hours. Are you going to a show at the Chicago?

Yeah, it looks like they are closed on weekends.

no, i'm playing a parade starting around there.

that is terrible about the bretzels. :(

life is so hard.

i guess it'll have to be the dunkin' donuts around the corner (i woke up way hungover at the hotel allegro once and puked before going to that DD).

jordan how long r u in town for? what u doing saturday night?

There used to be a 12 OZ. STEAK FOR $1.99 place at State and Randolph, if only you could time-travel back to 1994.

what is a froze?

it's sarah's abbreviation for a frozen dinner

oh ok

i am attempting to chill out after a rather trying day at work.

Get down with my personal lingo, Amanda.

Not too tired for ddpp I hope?

ugh Amanda that sucks. ddpp might help?

would love to stay & party but i have a gig in madison that night

I know the point of DDPP is that it's a space for women to dance in a "safe" environment, without feeling judged, etc. etc. -- but the idea of a weekly dance party where the participants pick the playlists each week is so awesome, I wish there was a coed version.

John and I promise we won't grind into strangers from behind on the dance floor if we can come.

i dunno dudes. all i want to do is stay home and roast a chicken to make calzones and prepare for the apocalypse. i'll consider it, but i have a chicken that is in my fridge, waiting to be roasted AND a dvd of wire season 5 waiting for me...

ALSO NO BOYS STOP ASKING MAKE YOUR OWN DANCE PARTY PLS

i don't really want to go to ddpp, i just want to make the playlists. do you think they'd let me guest dj if i didn't show up?

i remember colette trying to get something like this together when she was here; they had something like that in london? no reason why we shouldn't find a bar that would let us dj/dance 1x a week...or 1x a month?!

I want to make the playlists and dance. When do I ever get to dance?

i had bohannon on my playlist

the mighty
the mighty
BOHANNON

niiiiiiiice

i remember colette trying to get something like this together when she was here; they had something like that in london? no reason why we shouldn't find a bar that would let us dj/dance 1x a week...or 1x a month?!

As long as we don't have to call it something dumb like CLUB POPTIMISM.

we could call it CLUB ROAST CHICKEN as long as it involved rotating djs and dancing

OK, if that ever happened, it would make my year. I'm not sure how to go about it, though.

Like what kind of bar are we thinking?

where did you and nick dj that one time? schuba's? was that it?

Bohannon + Bahamadia

There's a private loft that a bunch of folks have near Lincoln and Belmont, and they have a monthly soul dance party. I can git you in.

I want to make the playlists and dance. When do I ever get to dance?

― jaymc, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 3:56 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

......

xp Yeah, I feel like we would need to have our shit together before proposing something like that to M@tt Ruc1ns.

i have a playlist prepared, sarah does, jenny does, horseshoe does...that's three months already done. DANCE PARTY.

lolz yes we have many playlists.

I bet Sylvie would let us have a dance party. And some of you could stumble home from there.

our playlists were so dope we could recycle them and they would lose none of their strength

(well, mine probably would because i overestimate the need for people to dance to belinda carlisle... but i digress)

do any of y'all have a basement? if i had a basement, i would totally do this every night.

anyone who doesn't need to dance to belinda carlisle can stay the fuck home.

I guess I mean more like we need to be able to convince him that it there will be a draw. Or maybe it doesn't matter upstairs, since they don't seem to book stuff there more than a few nights a month.

I'm going to DDPP tonight!!!! Finally. My prodigal return.

yay Jenny!

unfortch i think i'm going to bow out this week -- but anticipate my sweet moves next week because they will be back.

we have a basement, but i don't think my neighbors would be too keen on it, seeing as they are (for the most part) tremendous assholes.

yeah neighbors are the whole problem with dance dance party partying. enjoy your chicken + the wire!

guys im inviting all of u to a dance party but never u mind me

But DDPP has NO JUDGMENTS!

i think our dance party should have lots of judgements

Judge judge dance judge.

i will be in chicago again for thanksgiving (if my 'colleague' doesn't fuck with me and force me to work that weekend)! we didn't really do much in the way of 'chicago-y' things last time, and this time we're going to the aquarium. any other suggestions for places we should go/things we should do?

go to the adler planetarium, i hear they have a very expensive overhead projector

My DDPP DJ name is DJ Secretly Judging You.

this whole ddpp thing is completely foreign to me

dan 'double penetration' perry?

www.dancedancepartyparty.com

I was so tired when I got to ddpp last night, but I survived with a little help from the Backstreet Boys, Debbie Gibson, and a song from Footloose (HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO TIL THE MORNIN'LIIIIGHHHTTTT).

hmm, in the first picture on the madison website there is a girl i dated briefly

Hero list

1. Strong
2. fast
3. fresh from the fight

UnderwearUnderwearPillowfightPillowfight

^^^eazy's next play (would attend)

My crazy epic show opens tonight (part one tonight, part two tomorrow night). I'll be back on the block soon.