Chicago: customers are advised to allow extra travel time

Doesn't seem too bad. Does he even know who you are?

Yeah, there's so much random myspace spam out there it's entirely possible he won't even notice.

he doesn't. i figure she could brush it off as "ah, my crazy friend" if it came up at all. hopefully it will just land in the junk mail & he'll not even see it.

When I heard Donna Tartt had a new book out, I thought about reading it, then re-read The Secret History instead. It's a darn entertaining book.

Nick, I read your IMM post and if you want I could send you some beats that you could try putting random home-recorded shit over? And then I could cut that stuff up? It might make me restart my own side-shit.

Argh, I hate when people unsolicitedly lend me books. I usually like to take things on my own time, read something only when I'm in the mood to read it, but if someone shoves a book at me and says "You just have to read this," I feel this horrible obligation. Even if they say "just give it back to me whenever," they always can't wait to know what you thought, if you liked it as much as they did. I mean, if I actually wanted to read the damn book, I'd have asked.

Anyway, this time, it was bought for me rather than lent to me, but it feels like the same thing. The book is some YA novel that the person swears I would love, even though I made a big deal about how I'm not really interested in children's lit. I think that's the point, actually -- she's hoping to change my mind about the genre, but it's a lousy gift, since there are dozens of books I'd rather read instead. And then today she sends me an e-mail that's all, "Have you started it yet??" I dunno, it just feels sort of self-centered. But maybe I'm stubborn, too.

dude, i hear you in some regard, but i think it's touching when someone is so excited about something that they want to share it with you. i think a simple, "i haven't started it yet but it's next on the list" can suffice. then if you don't actually get around to it in a couple of weeks you can return it & say that you never got around to it & you didn't want to hold the book hostage, etc.
be less crabby about it & more on the flattered side of life. that's all.

sorry, just realized you own the book. still, flattered side of life still wins.

also, i think it's lousy of you to call it a lousy gift since no one is obligated to give you anything. sorry to sound maternal here, but i think it sounds a bit spoiled to be so down on a book.

it's one thing to get garage sale leftovers from your nana as a gift, it's an entirely different thing to have a friend give you a book that they loved.

end of lecture.

sorry if i upset you, j. it got awfully quiet in here.

BOOBS!

sorry, just trying to break the ice

I feel bad. I wasn't trying to be bitchy about it but I do feel like it's just a book, after all.

I kind of know what jaymc is saying, it's weird when someone lends you a cd or book and pressures you to check it out, when you know the only response they're looking for is "I loved it, you have great taste!"

(I say this as a reformed "that guy")

Hi. I was over on the Freaks and Geeks vs. Undeclared thread.

You're right that it's uncharitable of me to call it a "lousy gift." I mean, I never expect gifts from random friends, so it's a nice gesture in that regard. It just struck me as more about her than about me, like she's giving it me just so that she can be vindicated when I report back to her that I liked it after all.

And I wasn't really bothered by it until she e-mailed me to ask if I've started it yet.

I think a lot of gifts end up being more about the person giving them in a way. I mean, lately I've been slathering friends with gifts that I've been sewing & that is certainly more about me than me thinking that they can't live without this hand-sewn purse.

I understand where you are coming from, by the way. I don't think you are a beast of a gift recipient or anything like that.

what book is it, anyway?

http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780517605257&height=300&maxwidth=170

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Brain-John-Fitzgerald/dp/0440430712

hmmm. i've never read that and i guess i would be hesitant to start now.

the golden compass, however, i loved & never read that as a kid.

oh, I read The Great Brain when I was a kid! I remember nothing about it at all.

Nick, I read your IMM post and if you want I could send you some beats that you could try putting random home-recorded shit over? And then I could cut that stuff up? It might make me restart my own side-shit.

Yes, do this. I imagine it will end up sounding like the Von Sudenfed album (Mouse on Mars + Mark E. Smith).

BTW, 25 years ago is arguably within our generation. And even if it isn't, I think by saying "even Fast Times at Ridgemont High" made it clear that I consider it an outlier.

Jordan - email me about music stuff. I don't really know exactly how it will work - what program do you use? I have LogicAudio and Garageband, but I think LA is sophisticated enough that I'm supposed to be able to import basically any music files. I just don't know about how to synchronize them all.

i read the great brain book when i was a kid, too. i think the only thing i remember about it is that there's a lot of mormons drinking milk in it.

BOR-ING.

oh, you know how those mormons are! always with the milk drinking. wacky mormons.

I don't think it's such a bad thing that gifts tend to reflect more on the giver than the receiver, because I like to be surrounded by things that remind me of those I love. (Even that hideous fat countrified/psychedelic cat figurine my mom just sent me)

BTW, 25 years ago is arguably within our generation. And even if it isn't, I think by saying "even Fast Times at Ridgemont High" made it clear that I consider it an outlier.

I guess I'm just skeptical that there's any more focus on teenagers now than there was at any other time in the past 40 years. You're right that the concept of "teenagers" (at least how we now define them) didn't really exist until the 20th century, but you could argue that art reflecting those years as being tumultuous began as soon as Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which, perhaps not coincidentally, dovetailed with the beginning of the rock'n'roll era.

Even that hideous fat countrified/psychedelic cat figurine my mom just sent me)

Sarah, it's a trap, that is a REAL CAT!

OH NOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

http://img.webring.com/r/c/cheshirecatlover/logo

Or maybe Catcher in the Rye. I dunno, this is sort of a big topic, it's hard to talk confidently about it.

John, what was that bar that you, horseshoe, and I went to after CLUBBIN' that one time?

Oh, and Jeff, you can add another cat to your count of how many one can find in our apartment.

Maybe I'm just doing the thing that I hate when other people do, which is overemphasize the uniqueness of my time period, but it just feels like people of our generation are more likely to reflect on and glorify their teenage years.

I think movies about teenagers from the 50s and 60s especially, including Rebel Without a Cause, look at teenagers more with a fearful/cautionary eye. RWaC is an exception, because there's more sympathy for the teenagers, but I still think it was intended as a cautionary tale - ie, look at what's happening to our children. Though teenagers watched it and were like "cool!"

Novel are a different matter.

Colette, if the temp work stays dry, you might want to try signing up at Northwestern -- they have their own temp service now.

That R. Kelly/NY Times article did a good job of articulating a few things about the dumb-genius take on his songs, but I also hear what you guys are saying.

I am so bad at reading books that I receive as gifts.

I am all alone at the office, and while I think it would be OK to lock up and go find some lunch and stretch my legs (I didn't even realize it was almost 2 and I've been here since 8!!!), I don't want to abandon ship.

I have snacks here, so I guess I'll be OK.....

Should I be on ILX???

John, what was that bar that you, horseshoe, and I went to after CLUBBIN' that one time?

Clark Street Ale House

THX

YR WLCM

I am going to the store formerly known as Marshall Field's on State Street after work today to pick up some new pants for my sis' wedding (and maybe a present for the couple although I think I am just going to give them $$$). Anyone feel like grabbing a beer at OTs or elsewhere?

Can't, we really really need to get groceries as we have no food at home.

I'm saving my Old Timers energy for Friday!

Hey what happened to Laurel?

Isn't she on a trip or something?

Ooooh. Just wondering. Jaymc's YR WLCM post reminded me of her for some reason.