Monday, July 28, 2008
Day 63
Saturday was nice. Went to a black church in Kankakee that had a killer choir. They were great. Did a little swimming in the afternoon. Went to the driving range with the Bishop at night.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Day 60
When I was in first grade there were two African-American girls in my class. One was named Joakima and the other was named Michelle. One day, being a first grader who did not know any better, I made the casual comment that Michelle and Joakima were both black, but Joakima was blacker than Michelle. To my utter astonishment, Joakima broke into tears and ran to tell the teacher, who gave me a very thorough scolding on the matter. I was surprised and embarrassed and I still had no idea what I had done wrong.
This incident was probably my first conscious experience with race relations. I lived in middle-class Frederick, Maryland at the time. I knew black people, but not very many. I really did not think of them any differently; some people were black, some people were white, some people were short, some people were tall, and we all had different hair and eye colors. This didn’t seem like that big of a deal. (In fact, now that I am thinking about this incident, it occurs to me that I may have received similar flack one time for pointing out another seemingly mundane detail about the world: there are more white people than black people, but there are a lot of black people in Washington, D.C.) I knew about slavery and the Civil war; living on the Eastern Seaboard I had been to several battlefields. I had probably heard of Martin Luther King and had a vague knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. But it had never crossed my mind that racism (or whatever my six-year-old mind would have called the concept of racism) still existed. And it certainly had never crossed my mind that Joakima, a fairly friendly acquaintance of mine, would get so bent out of shape because I simply pointed out the shade of her skin.
Of course, today I can see why Joakima reacted the way she did. I attended a discussion last year on racism in the public school system and Alex Kotlowitz, author of There are No Children Here, commented that black kids in the city deal with the effects of racism on a daily basis, while white kids in the suburbs think racism is something that ended in the ‘60s. This is more or less true. I could not have been held responsible for my comment to Joakima because I had no idea that I said anything wrong. I did not realize how much African-Americans were discriminated against and I certainly had no idea of the stereotypes that accompany darker and lighter skin-tones. Joakima, meanwhile, was probably all too aware of these things, even at her young age, and even living in our fairly tolerant town. I had never seen any of the white kids tease her for being black, but it must have weighed on her mind constantly to be in such a minority. Furthermore, outside of the classroom, living in a predominantly white (and somewhat rural) community, her family surely faced their share of racism, be it malicious or subtle or, such as in my case, naïve. And judging by her reaction, even at her young age she was familiar with the stereotypes of skin-tone.
I was six-years-old at the time so her reaction and my naivety do not haunt me. This was simply the first in a long line of lessons I have learned on race relations in our country. What does still bother me a little is the reaction of my teacher. I had a class last quarter where we were instructed to think of a negative moment, involving a teacher that stood out in our minds. This was not the story I related, but it could have been.
My teacher’s reaction was to simply give me a stern scolding. I also remember that there was another teacher present at the time and she also put in her two cents. There was no explanation of why my comment could have been misconstrued as offensive. Instead they simply yelled at me and left me confused.
Setting aside the shoddy teaching strategy in place here, I think that the teacher’s reaction is indicative of the way many in our country deal with race relations. There is rarely an effort made to open a real dialogue on racial issues. The only time the media really addresses race is when a public figure lets an ignorant or malicious comment slide. When this happens we simply vilify this person, or sweep it under the rug as a relic of a past age of racism. The discussion centers on a word instead of the attitudes and emotions behind it. If we hope to truly confront the racial divide in America we have to be willing to confront the subject on a deeper level, no matter how uncomfortable it may make us feel.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
This incident was probably my first conscious experience with race relations. I lived in middle-class Frederick, Maryland at the time. I knew black people, but not very many. I really did not think of them any differently; some people were black, some people were white, some people were short, some people were tall, and we all had different hair and eye colors. This didn’t seem like that big of a deal. (In fact, now that I am thinking about this incident, it occurs to me that I may have received similar flack one time for pointing out another seemingly mundane detail about the world: there are more white people than black people, but there are a lot of black people in Washington, D.C.) I knew about slavery and the Civil war; living on the Eastern Seaboard I had been to several battlefields. I had probably heard of Martin Luther King and had a vague knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. But it had never crossed my mind that racism (or whatever my six-year-old mind would have called the concept of racism) still existed. And it certainly had never crossed my mind that Joakima, a fairly friendly acquaintance of mine, would get so bent out of shape because I simply pointed out the shade of her skin.
Of course, today I can see why Joakima reacted the way she did. I attended a discussion last year on racism in the public school system and Alex Kotlowitz, author of There are No Children Here, commented that black kids in the city deal with the effects of racism on a daily basis, while white kids in the suburbs think racism is something that ended in the ‘60s. This is more or less true. I could not have been held responsible for my comment to Joakima because I had no idea that I said anything wrong. I did not realize how much African-Americans were discriminated against and I certainly had no idea of the stereotypes that accompany darker and lighter skin-tones. Joakima, meanwhile, was probably all too aware of these things, even at her young age, and even living in our fairly tolerant town. I had never seen any of the white kids tease her for being black, but it must have weighed on her mind constantly to be in such a minority. Furthermore, outside of the classroom, living in a predominantly white (and somewhat rural) community, her family surely faced their share of racism, be it malicious or subtle or, such as in my case, naïve. And judging by her reaction, even at her young age she was familiar with the stereotypes of skin-tone.
I was six-years-old at the time so her reaction and my naivety do not haunt me. This was simply the first in a long line of lessons I have learned on race relations in our country. What does still bother me a little is the reaction of my teacher. I had a class last quarter where we were instructed to think of a negative moment, involving a teacher that stood out in our minds. This was not the story I related, but it could have been.
My teacher’s reaction was to simply give me a stern scolding. I also remember that there was another teacher present at the time and she also put in her two cents. There was no explanation of why my comment could have been misconstrued as offensive. Instead they simply yelled at me and left me confused.
Setting aside the shoddy teaching strategy in place here, I think that the teacher’s reaction is indicative of the way many in our country deal with race relations. There is rarely an effort made to open a real dialogue on racial issues. The only time the media really addresses race is when a public figure lets an ignorant or malicious comment slide. When this happens we simply vilify this person, or sweep it under the rug as a relic of a past age of racism. The discussion centers on a word instead of the attitudes and emotions behind it. If we hope to truly confront the racial divide in America we have to be willing to confront the subject on a deeper level, no matter how uncomfortable it may make us feel.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Day 57
Sunday was the final day of the Pitchfork Music Festival. And it was a GREAT day.
It started with me dragging myself out of bed at 10 AM. After a long day yesterday and getting home at 12:30 it was sort of tough. But I gotta be a rock star on Pitchfork weekend. And there is Sparks at Union Park!
So I was up. And I was going to fix a big breakfast. But there were no eggs in the house for just about the first time ever. So I ate these little link things that come in a can and taste good. Then I left the house at about 11:20.
I got down to the park a little after noon. Met up with friends and acquaintances and chatted and told everyone how awesome Rock the Bells was yesterday and how terrible the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre was. Then the show started.
I listened to the first few bands of the day from afar. I was just too tired and too hot to hang out up front for bands I am not really all that into. The first band to play was Times New Viking. I recognized one of their songs. Next was Dirty Projectors. They are those ones who do all those Black Flag songs all slow and quiet like. They sounded okay. Then was Boris. They played some Japanese metal and then they blew a speaker or something so the show ended early.
The first band that I actually got up and went to see was Apples in Stereo. This is a great band and they made me happy on a sunny afternoon. They opened their set with "Can You Feel It" and ended up playing quite a bit from that album, which is nice because it is the only one I have.
I decided to check out a little bit of King Khan's set. I listened to a couple songs and they were really fun. Then I left to go see Les Savy Fav, who were really high on my list for the day. For some reason I had a really tough time getting into them, which was odd because they put on a real energetic show. I guess I was probably just a little bit too far back to really appreciate it. I ended up going back to camp and wishing I had stayed at King Khan.
So after a little more chillaxin' it was 6:00 and time for the Ghostface and Raekwon set over at that small stage. Ghost and Rae were supposed to be on a main stage but for some reason they ended up having to switch times and stages. Biggest shock of the day was that they went on stage right at their scheduled start time. And they were predictably awesome. They played a TON of Wu-Tang stuff, mostly off 36 Chambers, along with a bunch of Only Build 4 Cuban Linx and solo Ghostface. And the sound was SO much better than any of the sets I saw yesterday. Plus, they played a FULL HOUR!
And they got done just in time for Spiritualized! I really thought I was going to end up missing Spiritualized but the stars aligned and thank goodness because this was probably the best set of the day. I had assumed they were going to do an artsy fartsy acoustic set like they did at Coachella, but instead they played with a full band with back up singers and everything! Full sound, very tight set. Just awesome...
And then I killed more time. Ate some food. Chatted. Listened to Dinosaur Jr. from afar. Then Spoon went on. I wandered forward and then wandered back because ONCE AGAIN I was not feeling Spoon's set. They just don't do it for me in a live setting. Then I walked through some mud. Then I decided to go check out the end of Cut Copy.
When I got to Cut Copy's stage I realized that Cut Copy was not on stage. Instead it was Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, King Khan, and Jay Reatard playing a bunch of rock songs all sloppily in their best superjam form. Turns out Cut Copy was stuck at the airport and these guys were filling in.
But then Cut Copy showed up. And holy hell did they ever show up! They ended up only getting twenty minutes but in that twenty minutes they melted everyone's faces. The whole crowd was jumping and dancing and singing, every single hand in the air.
LIGHTS AND MUSIC!
And then it was home.
It started with me dragging myself out of bed at 10 AM. After a long day yesterday and getting home at 12:30 it was sort of tough. But I gotta be a rock star on Pitchfork weekend. And there is Sparks at Union Park!
So I was up. And I was going to fix a big breakfast. But there were no eggs in the house for just about the first time ever. So I ate these little link things that come in a can and taste good. Then I left the house at about 11:20.
I got down to the park a little after noon. Met up with friends and acquaintances and chatted and told everyone how awesome Rock the Bells was yesterday and how terrible the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre was. Then the show started.
I listened to the first few bands of the day from afar. I was just too tired and too hot to hang out up front for bands I am not really all that into. The first band to play was Times New Viking. I recognized one of their songs. Next was Dirty Projectors. They are those ones who do all those Black Flag songs all slow and quiet like. They sounded okay. Then was Boris. They played some Japanese metal and then they blew a speaker or something so the show ended early.
The first band that I actually got up and went to see was Apples in Stereo. This is a great band and they made me happy on a sunny afternoon. They opened their set with "Can You Feel It" and ended up playing quite a bit from that album, which is nice because it is the only one I have.
I decided to check out a little bit of King Khan's set. I listened to a couple songs and they were really fun. Then I left to go see Les Savy Fav, who were really high on my list for the day. For some reason I had a really tough time getting into them, which was odd because they put on a real energetic show. I guess I was probably just a little bit too far back to really appreciate it. I ended up going back to camp and wishing I had stayed at King Khan.
So after a little more chillaxin' it was 6:00 and time for the Ghostface and Raekwon set over at that small stage. Ghost and Rae were supposed to be on a main stage but for some reason they ended up having to switch times and stages. Biggest shock of the day was that they went on stage right at their scheduled start time. And they were predictably awesome. They played a TON of Wu-Tang stuff, mostly off 36 Chambers, along with a bunch of Only Build 4 Cuban Linx and solo Ghostface. And the sound was SO much better than any of the sets I saw yesterday. Plus, they played a FULL HOUR!
And they got done just in time for Spiritualized! I really thought I was going to end up missing Spiritualized but the stars aligned and thank goodness because this was probably the best set of the day. I had assumed they were going to do an artsy fartsy acoustic set like they did at Coachella, but instead they played with a full band with back up singers and everything! Full sound, very tight set. Just awesome...
And then I killed more time. Ate some food. Chatted. Listened to Dinosaur Jr. from afar. Then Spoon went on. I wandered forward and then wandered back because ONCE AGAIN I was not feeling Spoon's set. They just don't do it for me in a live setting. Then I walked through some mud. Then I decided to go check out the end of Cut Copy.
When I got to Cut Copy's stage I realized that Cut Copy was not on stage. Instead it was Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, King Khan, and Jay Reatard playing a bunch of rock songs all sloppily in their best superjam form. Turns out Cut Copy was stuck at the airport and these guys were filling in.
But then Cut Copy showed up. And holy hell did they ever show up! They ended up only getting twenty minutes but in that twenty minutes they melted everyone's faces. The whole crowd was jumping and dancing and singing, every single hand in the air.
LIGHTS AND MUSIC!
And then it was home.
Day 56
Day 56 was Rock the Bells. Here is the review I wrote for CoS. It isn't up there yet so you get to read it first!
Rock the Bells is generally considered the premier North American hip hop festival, pretty much by default. The tour kicked off at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL last weekend with a full day of beats, rhymes, and all the confusion and technical difficulties that have come to define the festival.
Guerilla Union, the company responsible for Rock the Bells, gets a lot of play out of the “real hip hop” mantra. Whenever I hear an artist or a DJ or a writer talking about “real” or “true” hip hop I can’t help but get a little queasy. I understand the importance of respecting the ideals on which the genre was originally built. But the “real hip hop” rallying cry has become a cliché, beaten to death by a particular subset that pines for a bygone era that can never be duplicated.
So year in, year out the folks at Guerilla Union stack the Rock the Bells lineup with classic backpacker favorites that peaked a decade or two ago. On the one hand this is great. I paid quite a large sum of money for a pit ticket for the chance to be so close to so many legendary artists. At the same time, too much of an over reliance on nostalgia acts plays right into the hands of those who claim that hip hop is dead. Today’s commercial rap radio may be extremely repetitive and watered down, but this is more the result of the state of commercial radio than it is of trends in hip hop. (It is worth noting that the venue hosting the show is run by Live Nation, a spin off of Clear Channel Communications, the company largely responsible for the current state of rap radio. So take that into consideration before accepting the idea that GU’s goals are completely altruistic.) There are plenty of new artists around who would have both complemented the existing lineup well, and sent the message that rap music is alive and well.
Most of the buzz for this year’s tour centers around the two big reunion acts, A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde. While Tribe is the festival’s overall headliner, The Pharcyde may actually be the more anticipated act since Saturday’s show was the first time all four original members performed together in eleven years. They did not disappoint the hyped up crowd, tearing through hits such as “Passing Me By” and “Ya Mama” with the assistance of a live band.
As for Tribe, they wore the headlining crown well, playing almost exactly what was expected of them. Despite an unfortunate decision to allow Q-Tip to spend the first fifteen minutes or so of the set performing his solo material (along with Tribe hits “Excursions” and “Sucka Nigga”), and a momentum-killing set change before the emergence of Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, they were able to rebound nicely and work the crowd into a frenzy on “Scenario”, “Electric Relaxation”, and practically every other song they could have been expected to play. By the time the evening came to a close with a rollicking “Award Tour”, most of the baffling stage decisions and technical difficulties of the day had been forgotten.
None of the day’s artists embodied straight-ahead, no frills hip hop as well as Nas. Performing with just a DJ, on an empty stage devoid of musicians and hype men, the Queens rapper used his drastically shortened 25-minute set to hit some of the highlights of his prolific career, including “N.Y. State of Mind”, “If I Ruled the World”, and moving set closer “One Mic.” He also had time to open his set with two tracks off his new album, “N.I.G.G.E.R.” and “Sly Fox”, and give a shout out to his nemesis Bill O’Reilly.
But other artists who attempted to hold down the amphitheatre’s massive stage single-handedly did not fare quite as well. Mos Def certainly could have benefitted from an appearance by Talib Kweli, a live band, or anything else that may have perked up a disappointingly dull set that seemed to be made up almost exclusively of new songs. Time constraints affected Mos, as they did most of the festival’s marquee acts, and he had to beg the stage manager before being allowed to finish his set with a shortened version of “Umi Says.” Def Jux rapper Murs also suffered through a horribly disjointed set, though this was not necessarily his fault. During his set one of the turntables was not working and he was never quite able to get into a rhythm.
Never were the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s acoustical problems more irritating than they were during Rakim’s short set. The legendary Long Island emcee, known to many by the simple moniker of “God”, is known for being one of the most innovative and influential lyricists of all time. The fact that his words were nearly indecipherable was nothing short of the day’s greatest tragedy, and not even his and DJ Kid Capri’s stellar stage presence could make up for it.
Short sets and poor acoustics also sunk sets by usually great live acts De La Soul and Dead Prez. The former did a decent job moving the crowd, but had their set time cut nearly in half due to the time constraints. Dead Prez seemed to be lacking their usual stage presence, though it did come through on “Hip Hop.”
One act that was seemingly unaffected by the poor sound was Method Man and Redman. The show was stolen by the Wu-Tang emcee, who dove into the audience, crowd surfed, and even ended up at the back of the venue, bringing the house down on his signature hit, “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man.”
Also performing at the tour opening show were Immortal Technique, Jay Electronica, B.O.B., and Kidz in the Hall. With thirteen live acts on only one stage, it appears that Guerilla Union may have bit off a little more than they could chew for an eleven-hour festival. With all due respect to every artist on the bill, trimming the lineup a little would have allowed the festival’s higher billed acts to play their full set times. The introduction of a second stage, which GU advertised (and is continuing to advertise) on the festival’s website, would have also served to make the day a little more bearable.
Day one of the Rock the Bells tour was an eleven-hour day characterized by some very good sets by some of rap’s greatest artists. It was also characterized by shoddy clock management, technical difficulties, poor sound, and a whole bunch of self-congratulatory mumbo jumbo. I spend a lot of time trying to convince skeptical friends and acquaintances of rap’s musical and cultural relevance. All in all, as a hip hop fan I had an excellent time at this show, but I would not have felt comfortable recommending it to anyone still on the fence about rap music since it played straight into so many common, negative stereotypes of the genre. And this is a real shame because Rock the Bells has such a great opportunity to push positive hip hop forward.
Rock the Bells is generally considered the premier North American hip hop festival, pretty much by default. The tour kicked off at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL last weekend with a full day of beats, rhymes, and all the confusion and technical difficulties that have come to define the festival.
Guerilla Union, the company responsible for Rock the Bells, gets a lot of play out of the “real hip hop” mantra. Whenever I hear an artist or a DJ or a writer talking about “real” or “true” hip hop I can’t help but get a little queasy. I understand the importance of respecting the ideals on which the genre was originally built. But the “real hip hop” rallying cry has become a cliché, beaten to death by a particular subset that pines for a bygone era that can never be duplicated.
So year in, year out the folks at Guerilla Union stack the Rock the Bells lineup with classic backpacker favorites that peaked a decade or two ago. On the one hand this is great. I paid quite a large sum of money for a pit ticket for the chance to be so close to so many legendary artists. At the same time, too much of an over reliance on nostalgia acts plays right into the hands of those who claim that hip hop is dead. Today’s commercial rap radio may be extremely repetitive and watered down, but this is more the result of the state of commercial radio than it is of trends in hip hop. (It is worth noting that the venue hosting the show is run by Live Nation, a spin off of Clear Channel Communications, the company largely responsible for the current state of rap radio. So take that into consideration before accepting the idea that GU’s goals are completely altruistic.) There are plenty of new artists around who would have both complemented the existing lineup well, and sent the message that rap music is alive and well.
Most of the buzz for this year’s tour centers around the two big reunion acts, A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde. While Tribe is the festival’s overall headliner, The Pharcyde may actually be the more anticipated act since Saturday’s show was the first time all four original members performed together in eleven years. They did not disappoint the hyped up crowd, tearing through hits such as “Passing Me By” and “Ya Mama” with the assistance of a live band.
As for Tribe, they wore the headlining crown well, playing almost exactly what was expected of them. Despite an unfortunate decision to allow Q-Tip to spend the first fifteen minutes or so of the set performing his solo material (along with Tribe hits “Excursions” and “Sucka Nigga”), and a momentum-killing set change before the emergence of Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, they were able to rebound nicely and work the crowd into a frenzy on “Scenario”, “Electric Relaxation”, and practically every other song they could have been expected to play. By the time the evening came to a close with a rollicking “Award Tour”, most of the baffling stage decisions and technical difficulties of the day had been forgotten.
None of the day’s artists embodied straight-ahead, no frills hip hop as well as Nas. Performing with just a DJ, on an empty stage devoid of musicians and hype men, the Queens rapper used his drastically shortened 25-minute set to hit some of the highlights of his prolific career, including “N.Y. State of Mind”, “If I Ruled the World”, and moving set closer “One Mic.” He also had time to open his set with two tracks off his new album, “N.I.G.G.E.R.” and “Sly Fox”, and give a shout out to his nemesis Bill O’Reilly.
But other artists who attempted to hold down the amphitheatre’s massive stage single-handedly did not fare quite as well. Mos Def certainly could have benefitted from an appearance by Talib Kweli, a live band, or anything else that may have perked up a disappointingly dull set that seemed to be made up almost exclusively of new songs. Time constraints affected Mos, as they did most of the festival’s marquee acts, and he had to beg the stage manager before being allowed to finish his set with a shortened version of “Umi Says.” Def Jux rapper Murs also suffered through a horribly disjointed set, though this was not necessarily his fault. During his set one of the turntables was not working and he was never quite able to get into a rhythm.
Never were the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s acoustical problems more irritating than they were during Rakim’s short set. The legendary Long Island emcee, known to many by the simple moniker of “God”, is known for being one of the most innovative and influential lyricists of all time. The fact that his words were nearly indecipherable was nothing short of the day’s greatest tragedy, and not even his and DJ Kid Capri’s stellar stage presence could make up for it.
Short sets and poor acoustics also sunk sets by usually great live acts De La Soul and Dead Prez. The former did a decent job moving the crowd, but had their set time cut nearly in half due to the time constraints. Dead Prez seemed to be lacking their usual stage presence, though it did come through on “Hip Hop.”
One act that was seemingly unaffected by the poor sound was Method Man and Redman. The show was stolen by the Wu-Tang emcee, who dove into the audience, crowd surfed, and even ended up at the back of the venue, bringing the house down on his signature hit, “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man.”
Also performing at the tour opening show were Immortal Technique, Jay Electronica, B.O.B., and Kidz in the Hall. With thirteen live acts on only one stage, it appears that Guerilla Union may have bit off a little more than they could chew for an eleven-hour festival. With all due respect to every artist on the bill, trimming the lineup a little would have allowed the festival’s higher billed acts to play their full set times. The introduction of a second stage, which GU advertised (and is continuing to advertise) on the festival’s website, would have also served to make the day a little more bearable.
Day one of the Rock the Bells tour was an eleven-hour day characterized by some very good sets by some of rap’s greatest artists. It was also characterized by shoddy clock management, technical difficulties, poor sound, and a whole bunch of self-congratulatory mumbo jumbo. I spend a lot of time trying to convince skeptical friends and acquaintances of rap’s musical and cultural relevance. All in all, as a hip hop fan I had an excellent time at this show, but I would not have felt comfortable recommending it to anyone still on the fence about rap music since it played straight into so many common, negative stereotypes of the genre. And this is a real shame because Rock the Bells has such a great opportunity to push positive hip hop forward.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Day 55
Opening night of the Pitchfork Music Festival...
I got there about 5:30 and chatted with some friends. Mission of Burma took the stage at 6PM. I really like MoB but I am not familiar with Vs, which is the album they performed tonight. But it sounded great.
Instead of listening to Sebadoh I elected to stake out a spot for Public Enemy. Sebadoh sounded all right. Not really my thing. I spent the time talking mostly.
Before Public Enemy came out their production crew, The Bomb Squad put on a DJ set. It was pretty tight and got the crowd hyped for PE. What bothered me was that when they finished their set the music died and we waited five minutes or so for Public Enemy. It just sort of seemed that they should have burst onto the stage and built on all the hype the Bomb Squad built. But that is just a minor complaint.
So Public Enemy...not much I can say. They were amazing. They were about a million times better than I expected them to be. Some may make fun of some of Flav's antics but I thought he was absolutely hilarious tonight. Chuck is a fierce rhymer but on stage he looks like he is having a blast. In general it amazes me how a group with so much political rage can be so unpretentious and happy on stage.
Well that's all for now...the full PE review is coming to Consequence of Sound pretty soon. As soon as I get my thoughts straight.
PEACE
I got there about 5:30 and chatted with some friends. Mission of Burma took the stage at 6PM. I really like MoB but I am not familiar with Vs, which is the album they performed tonight. But it sounded great.
Instead of listening to Sebadoh I elected to stake out a spot for Public Enemy. Sebadoh sounded all right. Not really my thing. I spent the time talking mostly.
Before Public Enemy came out their production crew, The Bomb Squad put on a DJ set. It was pretty tight and got the crowd hyped for PE. What bothered me was that when they finished their set the music died and we waited five minutes or so for Public Enemy. It just sort of seemed that they should have burst onto the stage and built on all the hype the Bomb Squad built. But that is just a minor complaint.
So Public Enemy...not much I can say. They were amazing. They were about a million times better than I expected them to be. Some may make fun of some of Flav's antics but I thought he was absolutely hilarious tonight. Chuck is a fierce rhymer but on stage he looks like he is having a blast. In general it amazes me how a group with so much political rage can be so unpretentious and happy on stage.
Well that's all for now...the full PE review is coming to Consequence of Sound pretty soon. As soon as I get my thoughts straight.
PEACE
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Day 54
Today begins a span of 18 days in which I will see the following bands:
A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, Extra Golden, Fleet Foxes, Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, Public Enemy, Murs, Dead Prez, Meth and Red, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Mahjongg, Times New Viking, Dirty Projectors, Boris, The Apples in Stereo, Les Savy Fav, The Dodos, Ghost and Rae, Spiritualized, Dinosaur Jr, Spoon, Neil Diamond, K'Naan, Black Lips, Butch Walker, The Go! Team, The Kills, Gogol Bordello, Mates of State, Grizzly Bear, Cadence Weapon, Cool Kids, Radiohead, The Gutter Twins, Devotchka, Explosions in the Sky, Okkervil River, Lupe Fiasco, Toadies, Rage Against the Machine, Yeasayer, Broken Social Scene, Ha Ha Tonka, Kid Sister, Weakerthans, Brazilian Girls, Chromeo, Iron and Wine, Saul Williams, Girl Talk, The National, Kanye West.
I'm so lucky...
But first things first. I had class this morning. So I had to wake up super early. And go to class. And then, instead of going straight into the city like I planned, I came home to pick up my car from the shop. 853 dollars later I headed downtown.
Today I parked in a parking garage. It was thirteen dollars. Much cheaper than I had anticipated. Good thing...what with the whole 853 dollars at the shop thing.
The first big event of the day was the panel discussion on It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back at the Chicago Cultural Center. The panel was actually Keith and Hank Shocklee, Harry Allan, and Chuck D. There was also a moderator who seemed painfully out of place...but he IS working on a documentary on the history of sampling so he must know what he is talking about.
For the most part, Public Enemy were absolutely hilarious. The first twenty minutes or so were like a comedy routine between the Shocklees...then Chuck got goin' and serious knowledge was getting dropped. But it was all a great time. I'm going to expand on this a lot more by the end of the weekend in an article I am writing for Consequence of Sound. But the bottom line is that the discussion was entertaining and informative and one of the best free things I've ever been to. My only beef is that it started late (it is hip hop after all) and it was COLD AS SHIT in the theater. At first it was nice since it was 93 degrees outside, but by the time it was over I was thrilled to feel heat again.
After the discussion I had about an hour and fifteen minutes to kill so I went to Bennigans for some food and a drink. I had a black bean burger that fell apart. It was actually delicious but I ended up eating it with a fork.
So there is a new feature with the Pitchfork Festival this year. Tonight there was a free kickoff show in Millennium Park featuring four of the bands that are playing on Saturday. This was perfect because I will not be at the festival on Saturday. So going to tonight's show was a no brainer. Each band played 30 minute sets. There were VERY short breaks between sets and the show started at 6:30 and ended at 9:00.
The first band on stage was A Hawk and a Hacksaw. I listened to this band for the first time after I saw them on the Pitchfork lineup. They are probably the band I discovered on the lineup that I liked the most. I was disappointed that I was not going to be able to see them at the festival, but I ended up seeing them tonight. This band is made up of a mandolin, two violins, a trumpet, and an accordian. They come from Budapest I believe, but I'm pretty sure at least someone is American. Basically I don't know a whole lot about them other than the fact they put on a pretty good show, despite the fact that the crowd was still settling in and not all that into them.
But the audience definitely perked up for Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar. This is a seven piece brass band with two drummers and they owned the stage tonight. They were easily the most entertaining bands of the evening and they got the whole audience moving. To those who are going to Pitchfork on Saturday make sure you arrive early and catch these guys. You won't be disappointing.
The good vibes continued with Extra Golden. This band has three members from Kenya and three from D.C. They have an Afro-beat vibe but they also can jam pretty hard, which they showed on their last song "Obama". This of course got a positive reaction from the overwhelmingly pro-Obama audience.
Fleet Foxes finished the evening. This was the band that I was most familiar with. I am nowhere near as pretentious as I used to be when it comes to music. This is good because I enjoy music more. On the other hand, it also means that albums don't grow on me like they used to. Back when I had more pretentious taste I would listen to albums over and over because they were albums I was SUPPOSED to get into. And sometimes they would grow on me. This doesn't happen much anymore, but it did with Fleet Foxes. I wasn't crazy about them the first time I listened, but I kept it up, mostly because of tonight's show, and now I REALLY like them. And they didn't disappoint. They were mellow...particularly after the previous three bands jammed so hard, but they were a perfect way to end the show. They have a really folksy sound beautiful harmonies and they went perfect with the twilight.
Anyway...I came home and swam. Tomorrow it really starts to get crazy. Day One of Pitchfork...Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, and of course PUBLIC ENEMY!
A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, Extra Golden, Fleet Foxes, Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, Public Enemy, Murs, Dead Prez, Meth and Red, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Mahjongg, Times New Viking, Dirty Projectors, Boris, The Apples in Stereo, Les Savy Fav, The Dodos, Ghost and Rae, Spiritualized, Dinosaur Jr, Spoon, Neil Diamond, K'Naan, Black Lips, Butch Walker, The Go! Team, The Kills, Gogol Bordello, Mates of State, Grizzly Bear, Cadence Weapon, Cool Kids, Radiohead, The Gutter Twins, Devotchka, Explosions in the Sky, Okkervil River, Lupe Fiasco, Toadies, Rage Against the Machine, Yeasayer, Broken Social Scene, Ha Ha Tonka, Kid Sister, Weakerthans, Brazilian Girls, Chromeo, Iron and Wine, Saul Williams, Girl Talk, The National, Kanye West.
I'm so lucky...
But first things first. I had class this morning. So I had to wake up super early. And go to class. And then, instead of going straight into the city like I planned, I came home to pick up my car from the shop. 853 dollars later I headed downtown.
Today I parked in a parking garage. It was thirteen dollars. Much cheaper than I had anticipated. Good thing...what with the whole 853 dollars at the shop thing.
The first big event of the day was the panel discussion on It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back at the Chicago Cultural Center. The panel was actually Keith and Hank Shocklee, Harry Allan, and Chuck D. There was also a moderator who seemed painfully out of place...but he IS working on a documentary on the history of sampling so he must know what he is talking about.
For the most part, Public Enemy were absolutely hilarious. The first twenty minutes or so were like a comedy routine between the Shocklees...then Chuck got goin' and serious knowledge was getting dropped. But it was all a great time. I'm going to expand on this a lot more by the end of the weekend in an article I am writing for Consequence of Sound. But the bottom line is that the discussion was entertaining and informative and one of the best free things I've ever been to. My only beef is that it started late (it is hip hop after all) and it was COLD AS SHIT in the theater. At first it was nice since it was 93 degrees outside, but by the time it was over I was thrilled to feel heat again.
After the discussion I had about an hour and fifteen minutes to kill so I went to Bennigans for some food and a drink. I had a black bean burger that fell apart. It was actually delicious but I ended up eating it with a fork.
So there is a new feature with the Pitchfork Festival this year. Tonight there was a free kickoff show in Millennium Park featuring four of the bands that are playing on Saturday. This was perfect because I will not be at the festival on Saturday. So going to tonight's show was a no brainer. Each band played 30 minute sets. There were VERY short breaks between sets and the show started at 6:30 and ended at 9:00.
The first band on stage was A Hawk and a Hacksaw. I listened to this band for the first time after I saw them on the Pitchfork lineup. They are probably the band I discovered on the lineup that I liked the most. I was disappointed that I was not going to be able to see them at the festival, but I ended up seeing them tonight. This band is made up of a mandolin, two violins, a trumpet, and an accordian. They come from Budapest I believe, but I'm pretty sure at least someone is American. Basically I don't know a whole lot about them other than the fact they put on a pretty good show, despite the fact that the crowd was still settling in and not all that into them.
But the audience definitely perked up for Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar. This is a seven piece brass band with two drummers and they owned the stage tonight. They were easily the most entertaining bands of the evening and they got the whole audience moving. To those who are going to Pitchfork on Saturday make sure you arrive early and catch these guys. You won't be disappointing.
The good vibes continued with Extra Golden. This band has three members from Kenya and three from D.C. They have an Afro-beat vibe but they also can jam pretty hard, which they showed on their last song "Obama". This of course got a positive reaction from the overwhelmingly pro-Obama audience.
Fleet Foxes finished the evening. This was the band that I was most familiar with. I am nowhere near as pretentious as I used to be when it comes to music. This is good because I enjoy music more. On the other hand, it also means that albums don't grow on me like they used to. Back when I had more pretentious taste I would listen to albums over and over because they were albums I was SUPPOSED to get into. And sometimes they would grow on me. This doesn't happen much anymore, but it did with Fleet Foxes. I wasn't crazy about them the first time I listened, but I kept it up, mostly because of tonight's show, and now I REALLY like them. And they didn't disappoint. They were mellow...particularly after the previous three bands jammed so hard, but they were a perfect way to end the show. They have a really folksy sound beautiful harmonies and they went perfect with the twilight.
Anyway...I came home and swam. Tomorrow it really starts to get crazy. Day One of Pitchfork...Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, and of course PUBLIC ENEMY!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Day 52
Ok...I wasn't going to do another one today but this game just won't end so I will go ahead and get all the way caught up.
General Wedding Thoughts
The wedding weekend was a whole lot of fun. This didn't really come out in my blog entries too much but that is just because I was too tired every night to write everything down.
The nicest thing was seeing so many people. Since the wedding involved my sister and one of my best friends practically everyone I know was around for the weekend. Almost too many people because there were a lot of them that I did not even get to spend any time with. I spent most of the weekend hanging out with the Dudes...many of whom I have not seen in a LONG time. The weekend really was just one big party.
And the wedding was all very well done. It seems that all the ridiculous hours and money that went into it actually paid off. The reception hall was very nice. So was the service. The rehearsal dinner was one of the best meals I have eaten in quite some time.
I still don't necessarily understand why anyone would want to put so much time, money, and stress into a wedding. It seems like people would rather enjoy their weekend than run around stressed out about little last minute details. And I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend an entire year of their lives working on a wedding with all their spare time. I am all for a small destination wedding. But that's just me.
Anyway...everything has calmed down now. Everyone is gone. Except for Grandma and Grandpa. They are still here.
I had two hours of class today. Waking up was a bitch. But then I was home by 12:30 and had a nice laid back afternoon. I got a few things accomplished and then took a dip in the pool with my dad and my grandma.
And of course I watched the entire All-Star Game. Or I suppose I should say I am still watching the All-Star Game. It is now the fifteenth inning.
Oh yeah...Paul just called me from his honeymoon. It seems that he and Krissy are at a small bar in Door County and apparently they just missed Dusty Baker by a few minutes. Apparently Dusty is spending his All-Star break in Door County and he happened in to watch the game. So that is kind of, ummm, cool.
Anyway...big weekend coming up with Pitchfork and Rock the Bells. And big day tomorrow with eleven hours of tutoring.
General Wedding Thoughts
The wedding weekend was a whole lot of fun. This didn't really come out in my blog entries too much but that is just because I was too tired every night to write everything down.
The nicest thing was seeing so many people. Since the wedding involved my sister and one of my best friends practically everyone I know was around for the weekend. Almost too many people because there were a lot of them that I did not even get to spend any time with. I spent most of the weekend hanging out with the Dudes...many of whom I have not seen in a LONG time. The weekend really was just one big party.
And the wedding was all very well done. It seems that all the ridiculous hours and money that went into it actually paid off. The reception hall was very nice. So was the service. The rehearsal dinner was one of the best meals I have eaten in quite some time.
I still don't necessarily understand why anyone would want to put so much time, money, and stress into a wedding. It seems like people would rather enjoy their weekend than run around stressed out about little last minute details. And I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend an entire year of their lives working on a wedding with all their spare time. I am all for a small destination wedding. But that's just me.
Anyway...everything has calmed down now. Everyone is gone. Except for Grandma and Grandpa. They are still here.
I had two hours of class today. Waking up was a bitch. But then I was home by 12:30 and had a nice laid back afternoon. I got a few things accomplished and then took a dip in the pool with my dad and my grandma.
And of course I watched the entire All-Star Game. Or I suppose I should say I am still watching the All-Star Game. It is now the fifteenth inning.
Oh yeah...Paul just called me from his honeymoon. It seems that he and Krissy are at a small bar in Door County and apparently they just missed Dusty Baker by a few minutes. Apparently Dusty is spending his All-Star break in Door County and he happened in to watch the game. So that is kind of, ummm, cool.
Anyway...big weekend coming up with Pitchfork and Rock the Bells. And big day tomorrow with eleven hours of tutoring.
Day 50
So the day of the wedding.
I actually got to sleep in on Sunday. We all woke up around ten and we got some terrible breakfast at the hotel. Then I decided to go home and get some socks and a t-shirt to wear with my tux. Apparently while I was gone somebody came and took pictures of all the dudes and I missed it. That's okay. There are plenty of pictures of me.
So I changed and Will and Isaac and I drove over to the church. And we sat around for a little while. And took some pictures. But not too many. Mostly sat around.
The wedding was good. It was short and nice. Krissy cried.
We took a limo to the reception. It was a Bentley. So that was pretty cool. But really crowded. We stopped on the way to the reception to take some pictures.
The reception was very nice. The food was pretty good and a good band played.
After the wedding we just went back to the hotel and chilled. We were all pretty tired so we just ate leftover gnocchi and had a few drinks and watched Futurama. Then to bed.
And that is my stripped down, trying to catch up on my blog, story of Krissy's wedding day. So congratulations to her. And Paul.
I actually got to sleep in on Sunday. We all woke up around ten and we got some terrible breakfast at the hotel. Then I decided to go home and get some socks and a t-shirt to wear with my tux. Apparently while I was gone somebody came and took pictures of all the dudes and I missed it. That's okay. There are plenty of pictures of me.
So I changed and Will and Isaac and I drove over to the church. And we sat around for a little while. And took some pictures. But not too many. Mostly sat around.
The wedding was good. It was short and nice. Krissy cried.
We took a limo to the reception. It was a Bentley. So that was pretty cool. But really crowded. We stopped on the way to the reception to take some pictures.
The reception was very nice. The food was pretty good and a good band played.
After the wedding we just went back to the hotel and chilled. We were all pretty tired so we just ate leftover gnocchi and had a few drinks and watched Futurama. Then to bed.
And that is my stripped down, trying to catch up on my blog, story of Krissy's wedding day. So congratulations to her. And Paul.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day 49
Saturday was not a bad day.
I went to church in the morning. With family and such.
We had lunch for all the family and relatives at Downers Grove church. Food was good. Though the meat eaters bitched a lot.
Afternoon was really laid back. We just sort of hung out at the house. Lots of people. It got boring after a while so I went in the pool. That was cold. It was actually a pretty cool day.
I ended up going back to the hotel with the dudes and we hung out for a little bit before we were supposed to be at the church.
We went to the church around eight and spent a little time decorating, but surprisingly little time. That was cool.
And then just about EVERYONE went out to Ballydoyle and we just set up a long table out on the deck and had some drinks and a great time for a few hours.
And that back to the hotel for more rabble rousing.
I went to church in the morning. With family and such.
We had lunch for all the family and relatives at Downers Grove church. Food was good. Though the meat eaters bitched a lot.
Afternoon was really laid back. We just sort of hung out at the house. Lots of people. It got boring after a while so I went in the pool. That was cold. It was actually a pretty cool day.
I ended up going back to the hotel with the dudes and we hung out for a little bit before we were supposed to be at the church.
We went to the church around eight and spent a little time decorating, but surprisingly little time. That was cool.
And then just about EVERYONE went out to Ballydoyle and we just set up a long table out on the deck and had some drinks and a great time for a few hours.
And that back to the hotel for more rabble rousing.
Day 48
And this is the beginning of the wedding weekend...
Actually it is over. And I have a lot of catching up to do.
I somehow managed to sleep in on Friday. Don't know how thrilled others were about this but I think it was the first time I slept more than six hours in over a week. So I enjoyed it.
The day was mostly just a bunch of getting ready stuff and the population of the house just sort of multiplied. To add to the confusion I seem to have a bad tire that I'm not supposed to drive on. So I had to borrow my dad's car and go to the airport and pick up Isaac right before the rehearsal.
We got to the rehearsal on time. Nothing was too painful. Two times through the service. Mostly we practiced walking. And standing. I can't see around Dan.
The rehearsal dinner was the best part of the day. It was at Maggiano's and it was amazing. The gnocchi was great. So were the stuffed mushrooms.
Afterwards all the dudes just hung out at the hotel. We are staying at the Residence Inn and we have two penthouse suites so lots of room.
To be continued...
Actually it is over. And I have a lot of catching up to do.
I somehow managed to sleep in on Friday. Don't know how thrilled others were about this but I think it was the first time I slept more than six hours in over a week. So I enjoyed it.
The day was mostly just a bunch of getting ready stuff and the population of the house just sort of multiplied. To add to the confusion I seem to have a bad tire that I'm not supposed to drive on. So I had to borrow my dad's car and go to the airport and pick up Isaac right before the rehearsal.
We got to the rehearsal on time. Nothing was too painful. Two times through the service. Mostly we practiced walking. And standing. I can't see around Dan.
The rehearsal dinner was the best part of the day. It was at Maggiano's and it was amazing. The gnocchi was great. So were the stuffed mushrooms.
Afterwards all the dudes just hung out at the hotel. We are staying at the Residence Inn and we have two penthouse suites so lots of room.
To be continued...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Day 47
I don't feel like typing much.
I went to the Cubs game today with my friend Steve from class. They lost but we had a good time.
There was lots of rain and I didn't get to go swimming.
And there is lots of wedding bananas going on around here.
I went to the Cubs game today with my friend Steve from class. They lost but we had a good time.
There was lots of rain and I didn't get to go swimming.
And there is lots of wedding bananas going on around here.
Day 46
Nothing much to say about Wednesday. Long day of work. But I did go swimming when I got home.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day 44
Another slow day. I worked five hours today, then came home and went in the pool for the first time this summer. That's kind of sad. Oh well. I will spend the second half of the summer swimming as much as possible. Tonight I just sat in the pool and read a book about Tupac.
Did I mention that I completed my review of G-Unit's new album? It should be up some time tomorrow on Consequence of Sound. I think.
I ate some watermelon today. Very refreshing.
Storms missed us.
Tomorrow I have two hours of class and then the rest of the day free. Swimming.
Big weekend coming up. Should be lots of fun.
Did I mention that I completed my review of G-Unit's new album? It should be up some time tomorrow on Consequence of Sound. I think.
I ate some watermelon today. Very refreshing.
Storms missed us.
Tomorrow I have two hours of class and then the rest of the day free. Swimming.
Big weekend coming up. Should be lots of fun.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Day 43
Pretty laid back day today...
I got up around ten. Vacuumed the pool. It was cold in the water. But it was hot outside. I got a sunburn.
I went to the library looking for a CD. They didn't have it. They should have. I think the guy who got there just before me got the one I was looking for.
Watched the Cubs game. They won. Two out of three from the Cardinals. Not bad.
Finished my G-Unit review. It should be up on Consequence of Sound sometime tomorrow.
I got up around ten. Vacuumed the pool. It was cold in the water. But it was hot outside. I got a sunburn.
I went to the library looking for a CD. They didn't have it. They should have. I think the guy who got there just before me got the one I was looking for.
Watched the Cubs game. They won. Two out of three from the Cardinals. Not bad.
Finished my G-Unit review. It should be up on Consequence of Sound sometime tomorrow.
Day 42
The day after Fourth of July was a lot of fun too.
After being up till 3 with JR and Jen on Friday, I got up at 9 on Saturday to go to church. Krissy and Paul came with me to my church in Lakeview so it was nice to have some company. We got there VERY late, but in time for the children's story. The children's story is one of my favorite parts of church at Lakeview because the church is a little lacking in children. It is usually a storyteller talking to about three babies. Then Jose preached. The end.
We went home and put some Boca Burgers and corn on the grill. Then people did wedding stuff and I took a MONSTER nap. Paul went home when I was sleeping. He is coming back on Tuesday for wedding stuff. And when I woke up I realized the Cubs blew a lead they should not have blown.
I spent the evening hanging out with JR and Jen and some other people. We ended up going to a bar called Orazio's right next to the train station in Naperville. Our old friend Michael showed up later in the evening and we ended up closing the place out at 2 AM. Lots of laughs.
After being up till 3 with JR and Jen on Friday, I got up at 9 on Saturday to go to church. Krissy and Paul came with me to my church in Lakeview so it was nice to have some company. We got there VERY late, but in time for the children's story. The children's story is one of my favorite parts of church at Lakeview because the church is a little lacking in children. It is usually a storyteller talking to about three babies. Then Jose preached. The end.
We went home and put some Boca Burgers and corn on the grill. Then people did wedding stuff and I took a MONSTER nap. Paul went home when I was sleeping. He is coming back on Tuesday for wedding stuff. And when I woke up I realized the Cubs blew a lead they should not have blown.
I spent the evening hanging out with JR and Jen and some other people. We ended up going to a bar called Orazio's right next to the train station in Naperville. Our old friend Michael showed up later in the evening and we ended up closing the place out at 2 AM. Lots of laughs.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Day 41
So Fourth of July actually turned out pretty enjoyable despite the fact that we ended up staying home. It didn't start out so awesome. There was a lot of boredom early on, though I did go to Borders and buy the Fleet Foxes album. I am going to see them the night before the Pitchfork Festival begins at a free festival preview show at Millennium Park. This works out nicely because I'm not going to be able to catch them at the festival itself since I will not be attending Saturday.
Here are the people who came over to my house on the Fourth of July: Paul and Krissy (obviously), my old friend JR (who I hadn't seen in four years) and his fiancee (who I had never met), my cousins Ken and Erin, and my friend Jose. Most people showed up between five and six. We fixed some corn and hot dogs on the grill and also had potato salad, and deviled eggs, and pickles, and olives, and chips, and salsa, and the like. We also drank Dr. Pepper like we were in high school. I was all jittery after awhile.
It was especially nice to see JR. He is getting married in September and his wedding should be a lot of fun since there will be a lot of old friends together. His fiancee seems really cool and funny. She told a story about her pet pig that went on for about ten minutes and made me laugh so hard I cried. They ended up hanging around after everyone left until about 3 AM. We talked about all the devious things we did in high school. It was just like old times.
The fireworks were also very nice. They fire them off right behind my house. Usually I watch the fireworks in the pool but this year the water in the pool is just too cold since we just opened it last week. And the air was pretty cold for that matter as well. Ty Warner puts on our fireworks display and it is always much nicer than you would expect for Westmont.
And the Cubs won.
Here are the people who came over to my house on the Fourth of July: Paul and Krissy (obviously), my old friend JR (who I hadn't seen in four years) and his fiancee (who I had never met), my cousins Ken and Erin, and my friend Jose. Most people showed up between five and six. We fixed some corn and hot dogs on the grill and also had potato salad, and deviled eggs, and pickles, and olives, and chips, and salsa, and the like. We also drank Dr. Pepper like we were in high school. I was all jittery after awhile.
It was especially nice to see JR. He is getting married in September and his wedding should be a lot of fun since there will be a lot of old friends together. His fiancee seems really cool and funny. She told a story about her pet pig that went on for about ten minutes and made me laugh so hard I cried. They ended up hanging around after everyone left until about 3 AM. We talked about all the devious things we did in high school. It was just like old times.
The fireworks were also very nice. They fire them off right behind my house. Usually I watch the fireworks in the pool but this year the water in the pool is just too cold since we just opened it last week. And the air was pretty cold for that matter as well. Ty Warner puts on our fireworks display and it is always much nicer than you would expect for Westmont.
And the Cubs won.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Day 40
So today Paul called me in the morning and we decided to go up to Milwaukee tomorrow and go to the Brewers game and see the Roots at SummerFest and hang out with Ellis for the Fourth of July. AWESOME! So we called Ellis and made all the plans and I spent the afternoon going to the bank and looking up parking information and tickets and all and being generally excited about a REALLY fun Fourth of July.
So then apparently after this whole day of excitement Krissy decided we can't go because Paul has to do wedding stuff all day ON A FUCKING HOLIDAY! Apparently when she had told him he could go she was "assuming that he would do the right thing and not go." And people in my house continue to say things like, "Mike, how come your little sister is getting married and you are still single? Isn't it about time for YOU to get married?" Well in all honesty the whole last year has set my desires to get married back about ten years.
So anyway...we went to Taste of Chicago tonight. It was extremely crowded. And there was a lot of animosity in the crowd. Saw a couple fights break out and gang signs get thrown up. And apparently there were four shootings in the Loop.
The fireworks were pretty good. I thought they were better than the last few years.
I watched No Country For Old Men with my dad but I think I fell asleep.
So then apparently after this whole day of excitement Krissy decided we can't go because Paul has to do wedding stuff all day ON A FUCKING HOLIDAY! Apparently when she had told him he could go she was "assuming that he would do the right thing and not go." And people in my house continue to say things like, "Mike, how come your little sister is getting married and you are still single? Isn't it about time for YOU to get married?" Well in all honesty the whole last year has set my desires to get married back about ten years.
So anyway...we went to Taste of Chicago tonight. It was extremely crowded. And there was a lot of animosity in the crowd. Saw a couple fights break out and gang signs get thrown up. And apparently there were four shootings in the Loop.
The fireworks were pretty good. I thought they were better than the last few years.
I watched No Country For Old Men with my dad but I think I fell asleep.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day 39
Today I went to a wake. I do not like wakes. And I do not like when people die.
Beth Langley was the special education teacher I worked under in Naperville. She was a good teacher and a good person to work for. My last year there I had a very stressful job and I used to just go to her room to chill at the end of the day. She'd be all, "Mike, you look like you had a tough day." Then I'd bitch about stuff or just lie down on the floor for a while (that was the year I decided I just don't give a shit about germs any more.) Then she'd tell me to go home and drink and make sure I come back tomorrow. And I always did. She was only 56.
People say some of the strangest things at funerals. Like, "Oh, it was so sweet of you to come!" I never know what to say to this. "Thank you...it was sweet of you to come too." I mean, she was my friend too. I'm not just here because I want to be supportive of her other friends.
But I guess I kind of get where they are coming from. Wakes are awkward times when nobody is really all that sure how to start conversation and I guess this is as good a way as any. Everyone seems to be striving for the most appropriate things to say.
Which brings me to my next point. I actually had a delightful time. Yeah, it was sad, but no sadder than sitting at home thinking about it. And I saw a TON of people that I haven't seen in ages. And we all just talked and laughed and talked about work and stuff. (I realize that talking about work is not fun to most people, but it is when you work with autistic kids.) And I got to talk to Becky, who is the first teacher I worked with in my district, and she is going to contact National-Louis and request that I student teach for her. So it was even a productive time! Beth would be very happy.
But then there is the whole business of observing the body. I find this unnecessary and morbid. I guess it is done because people want to say good-bye last time. I guess that is fine and if it makes people feel better I shouldn't complain. But I personally don't find any emotion at all in that. I just think, "Ew...a dead body." It's not her. It's what she used to live in. Now it is just an empty shell. I don't want THAT to be the way I remember the person. I would rather just have a bunch of pictures or something...they are far more indicative of the person they were and they are no less a representation of the real person than the body.
But that's just me.
Anyway, that is what I did tonight. I also worked eight hours with kids. One of my kids got sad. He said, "Is Mrs. Langley dead? Does that mean she's never coming back? Never?" That was probably the most emotional I got.
So it goes.
Holiday weekend. Let's have some fun!
Beth Langley was the special education teacher I worked under in Naperville. She was a good teacher and a good person to work for. My last year there I had a very stressful job and I used to just go to her room to chill at the end of the day. She'd be all, "Mike, you look like you had a tough day." Then I'd bitch about stuff or just lie down on the floor for a while (that was the year I decided I just don't give a shit about germs any more.) Then she'd tell me to go home and drink and make sure I come back tomorrow. And I always did. She was only 56.
People say some of the strangest things at funerals. Like, "Oh, it was so sweet of you to come!" I never know what to say to this. "Thank you...it was sweet of you to come too." I mean, she was my friend too. I'm not just here because I want to be supportive of her other friends.
But I guess I kind of get where they are coming from. Wakes are awkward times when nobody is really all that sure how to start conversation and I guess this is as good a way as any. Everyone seems to be striving for the most appropriate things to say.
Which brings me to my next point. I actually had a delightful time. Yeah, it was sad, but no sadder than sitting at home thinking about it. And I saw a TON of people that I haven't seen in ages. And we all just talked and laughed and talked about work and stuff. (I realize that talking about work is not fun to most people, but it is when you work with autistic kids.) And I got to talk to Becky, who is the first teacher I worked with in my district, and she is going to contact National-Louis and request that I student teach for her. So it was even a productive time! Beth would be very happy.
But then there is the whole business of observing the body. I find this unnecessary and morbid. I guess it is done because people want to say good-bye last time. I guess that is fine and if it makes people feel better I shouldn't complain. But I personally don't find any emotion at all in that. I just think, "Ew...a dead body." It's not her. It's what she used to live in. Now it is just an empty shell. I don't want THAT to be the way I remember the person. I would rather just have a bunch of pictures or something...they are far more indicative of the person they were and they are no less a representation of the real person than the body.
But that's just me.
Anyway, that is what I did tonight. I also worked eight hours with kids. One of my kids got sad. He said, "Is Mrs. Langley dead? Does that mean she's never coming back? Never?" That was probably the most emotional I got.
So it goes.
Holiday weekend. Let's have some fun!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day 38
Today I started school again. I only have one class this summer and it meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It is Critical Literacy. It looks pretty interesting. We're going to talk about things like prison art. The professor can't be much older than me. He's got long hair and a lip ring so you know he's pretty cool. I'm also about 65 percent sure he was stoned. This is the only class he teaches. His real job is at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center where he teaches kids how to write and record music. Which is great.
I also worked this afternoon with one of my kids. That wasn't so great. I don't think we really got anything done at all today. So it goes.
I just started watching a new show on DVD. It is Mad Men. So far I like it. But mostly I just like watching TV shows on DVD. I don't ever care to rent movies again.
Cubs lost. So sad.
I finished my review of Tha Carter 3. It's really long. I'll post it on here once it is up on Consequence of Sound. Actually, screw that, I'll post a link to it. I want as many hits as I can get on there. Name recognition, bitches. I also discovered a side effect of this gig that I had not thought of today. I stopped at Best Buy after work and saw a bunch of albums I've been meaning to buy, including the new Sigur Ros. I looked in my wallet. Forty dollars. Not very much and I should put a little gas in the tank. I better only buy one album. I begrudgingly walked to the new release aisle and picked up the new G-Unit album. I have to write a fucking review.
Peace.
I also worked this afternoon with one of my kids. That wasn't so great. I don't think we really got anything done at all today. So it goes.
I just started watching a new show on DVD. It is Mad Men. So far I like it. But mostly I just like watching TV shows on DVD. I don't ever care to rent movies again.
Cubs lost. So sad.
I finished my review of Tha Carter 3. It's really long. I'll post it on here once it is up on Consequence of Sound. Actually, screw that, I'll post a link to it. I want as many hits as I can get on there. Name recognition, bitches. I also discovered a side effect of this gig that I had not thought of today. I stopped at Best Buy after work and saw a bunch of albums I've been meaning to buy, including the new Sigur Ros. I looked in my wallet. Forty dollars. Not very much and I should put a little gas in the tank. I better only buy one album. I begrudgingly walked to the new release aisle and picked up the new G-Unit album. I have to write a fucking review.
Peace.
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