101 Days of Summer Fun

Day 69

2008-08-01T21:40:00.002-07:00

First and foremost...hehehe...69.

Secondly, you probably noticed how I cheated and didn't really do any entries for a whole week. I know I promised 101 days but it is really hard. And this last week I got sick. Plus I was saving my energy for this monstrous weekend. But here are a few details. On Sunday I went to see Neil Diamond...probably the thing I feel the worst about not blogging about. Maybe I will do a review of that after Lollapalooza is over. On Monday one of my students blew snot literally in my eyes. On Tuesday I got sick (surprise, surprise.) On Wednesday I left work early and I'm pretty sure I had a fever but I was too scared to take my temperature because I didn't want to know. On Thursday I felt better and in the evening I went to Navy Pier with Krissy and Paul and Carin and it was beautiful outside. And that brings up today...

I woke up at 7 AM because I was SOOOO excited. And then I was bored. So I talked to Erica on the MSN Messenger. She is an instant cure for boredom. And my blogs "get her going" apparently. I had previously thought them to be average at best.

I left my house at about 9:45. I figured this would be plenty of time to get inside in time to see K'Naan...who took the stage at 11:30. But the place was MOBBED. I arrived at Grant Park at about 10:45 and the line was down the street. Luckily I found some friends toward the front of the line otherwise I don't know when I would have gotten in. As it was they opened the gates twenty minutes late and I wasn't inside till 11:45, thus missing the first 15 minutes of K'Naan.

The remaining half hour of K'Naan's set was really good. He seemed to do a LOT of new music...or at least songs that I was not familiar with. But they were great. The songs I did recognize were "Smile" and "What's Hardcore", which K'Naan brought to a halt at the words, "If I rapped about home and I got descriptive/I'd make 50 Cent look like Limp Bizkit." K'Naan's home is of course Mogadishu. Black Lips were running a little late so K'Naan was allowed to tack on "Soobax" at the end of his set, but his sound was cut halfway through. He saluted the crowd and then stuck his middle fingers in the air. He did get an extra five minutes so he didn't have a whole lot to complain about there...but I can understand that he was probably pissed that the gates opened late meaning that there was hardly anyone in attendance for the first half of his set.

Black Lips were great. It was nice to see such a high energy rock band so early in the day. They played a whole bunch of songs in their hour. But they didn't play "Veni Vidi Vici" (sort of surprising) or the song about telling a child that someone has died (somewhat less surprising.)

Butch Walker was okay. I'd been expecting a little more from all the rave reviews. He had a tiny crowd. He made a joke about how he was going to play covers because nobody had any idea who the fuck he was. And he did. He and his band covered James' "Laid" and Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". And those were the only songs of the set that I knew.

Then it was time for the Go! Team. I got right up front for them as they were one of my most anticipated acts of the day. And they of course delivered a great set. I thought that they left out some of their best songs...including "Huddle Formation"...but they had so much energy and they were a blast just like last time.

And that's when I hit the wall. As I said, I've been sick all week. I was feeling okay today, but the heat really hit me hard. I was alone at this point in the day and I just sort of wandered across the park toward the south end, which I hadn't seen yet. This is the third year I've been to Lolla and I always like the north end so much more. But I wanted to get down there and see Gogol Bordello at 4:15. On my way I checked out Perry's Stage. It's a nice shaded area. I think I'll spend a little more time there tomorrow afternoon.

I got to the south end about the time The Kills were wrapping up on the Myspace Stage. They finished their set about twenty minutes early. This is silly to me. If bands aren't going to use their full hour they should let someone like K'Naan who wanted more time take the hour slots. Anyway, they didn't sound terrible from the couple songs I heard.

Gogol was good. But I was just way too hot and tired to get into it. Maybe if I was down front where the crowd was having a good time I could have. But just standing in the sun, with a headache, it was really difficult to enjoy. I left about halfway through and found...

RAP! Leave it to C3 to find a rapper I had never heard of to play Lollapalooza. Dude's name was Free Sol or something. He played with a live band and he wasn't half bad. But he was on some "real hip hop" this and that...and that gets old quick.

I bought some guacamole.

I watched about half of Mates of State. I wasn't feeling it, even though I really like them. Once again...just too hot to enjoy. So I wandered over to Grizzly Bear when they started. I listened to three songs and left after "Knife". They sounded really good but I don't think this is the ideal venue for them. And they really should have been on one of the main stages because it was PACKED. That's what we have to look forward to at Girl Talk I suppose.

I ended up over at the BMI Stage for Cadence Weapon. Met up with Joe and Max (or Cloud and SixTimes), my new business partners at BeatsPerMil.com. During Cadence Weapon's set (which was AWESOME and HILARIOUS) we did a little marketing. Which means we threw fliers into the crowd in the form of paper airplanes. And it was shady. And his DJ was insane.

And the Cool Kids came out after a very quick set change. They tore through their set, playing most (if not all) of The Bake Sale. They also went into a stretch where they did a bunch of covers including Snoop, ODB (I think ODB may get more love nowadays than BIG and Pac), and the Pharcyde. At about 8:00 they said, "Now is the point of the show where we are going to play some new stuff." That's when I headed for Radiohead. Cool Kids will probably play Chicago ten more times this year.

And Radiohead was just beautiful. And not just Radiohead...everything surrounding the show. They started in the twilight and everything was perfect. The heat gave way to a cool breeze. Radiohead played a set made up of lots of new stuff, but a bunch of gems in their as well, including "Airbag", "Lucky", and "No Surprises." By far the best moment of the day (and quite possibly my concert-going career) came during "Fake Plastic Trees". For the third year in a row the festival was complemented by fireworks at Soldier Field for Bears Family Night. Anyway, the fireworks went on for a while and it was all very nice. Then, during "Fake Plastic Trees", right when Radiohead hit the part of the song where it gets loud the fireworks went into a spectacular finale. It could not have been purposely synced up better than that.

Anyway...they played two hours and were every bit as good as they should have been. They closed the set with "Idioteque" and we danced and were happy. Then went home. And what a clusterfuck getting out of there! It took me 45 minutes to get out the Loop.

A few notes...

- I like how they hid all the porta potties on the North end of the park this year. They are all back in the trees. But the kicker is that there are TWO of them right out in the middle of the field, and throughout the early afternoon there was a HUGE line for these two porta potties while a wall of about fifty of them sat empty back in the trees. Man...when 75, 000 people get together you really realize how stupid people are.

- I continue to be impressed with Lolla's food prices. A lot of people bitch about them, but comparing them to other festivals and concerts they are not bad at all. Four dollars for a slice of pizza? That's nothing by concert standards. And they have a lot of decent food too.

- Come on. Open the gates on time.

Anyway...I need some sleep. That was just one day. And tomorrow I will also be attending the Broken Social Scene / Yeasayer aftershow at the Metro. So I'll talk at you later.

Day 68

2008-08-01T21:40:00.001-07:00

1 Day Till Lolla!

Day 67

2008-08-01T21:39:00.004-07:00

2 Days Till Lolla!

Day 66

2008-08-01T21:39:00.003-07:00

3 Days Till Lolla!

Day 65

2008-08-01T21:39:00.001-07:00

4 Days Till Lolla!

Day 64

2008-08-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

Today I went to Neil Diamond.

Day 63

2008-07-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 62

2008-07-27T23:20:00.001-07:00

I think the days got out of wack somewhere.

Day 61

2008-07-27T23:19:00.001-07:00

Man...I'm tired of blogging and don't have much to say.

Day 60

2008-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 59

2008-07-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

The real Tuesday...

Day 58

2008-07-23T21:25:00.001-07:00

Tuesday's gone away.

Day 57

2008-07-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

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.

Day 56

2008-07-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 55

2008-07-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

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

Day 54

2008-07-17T22:18:00.002-07:00

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!

Day 53

2008-07-17T22:18:00.001-07:00

Eleven hour work days are for the birds...

Day 52

2008-07-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 51

2008-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Midsummer!

Day 50

2008-07-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 49

2008-07-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 48

2008-07-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

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...

Day 47

2008-07-10T23:10:00.001-07:00

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.

Day 46

2008-07-10T21:27:00.001-07:00

Nothing much to say about Wednesday. Long day of work. But I did go swimming when I got home.

Day 45

2008-07-08T22:27:00.001-07:00

I am reading a book called Push for class. It is a downer.

Day 44

2008-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 43

2008-07-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 42

2008-07-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 41

2008-07-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 40

2008-07-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 39

2008-07-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Day 38

2008-07-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 37

2008-06-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

I went back to work today. But it was a pretty good day.

So I landed a gig as the hip hop writer for Consequence of Sound. So that's kind of cool. Apparently they get between six and eight thousand hits a day. I'm currently working on my first article. It is a record review of Tha Carter 3. In it I plan to define a subgenre of rap. Lil Wayne is a "post-gangsta" artist, as are most of the rappers currently getting mainstream airtime.

Lots of wedding stuff seems to be going on around here.

Day 36

2008-06-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Overheard at Borders:

"There sure are a lot of rap songs about paperchase."

Day 35

2008-06-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

So my first day home. What do I do? I jump back in the car at 9 AM and go to Michigan. I had other things I considered doing today like going to church, going to a barbecue, or seeing Stevie Wonder at Taste of Chicago. But I have not seen my grandparents in quite a while and the next few weekends are packed so I decided it would be a good time to go.

The real story was that Dzia Dzia wanted to go out on the boat with the Coast Guard. Yes, my 76-year-old grandfather is the one keeping the coasts of Michigan safe from an Illinois invasion. And Babcia can't stay alone, what with the dementia and all. So I was going to spend the day with her so that he could do the whole Coast Guard thing.

I actually picked Babcia up at Krissy's house in Kalamazoo. We went and got some food at Olga's. Of course anywhere with Babcia is an ordeal. Everything is about money. "We can't do that. It costs money. Don't waste your money on me. I don't have any money to give you. Gas!"

And then we sat for a while. We took another ride. We sat. Babcia talked about eggs. Etc.

I stayed at Krissy's house. She wasn't there. So I had the place to myself. That was nice.

Day 34

2008-06-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

So Friday was spent driving home. Nothing too eventful. Sat in a traffic jam outside of Columbus because the lake flooded the road. That was about it. So here is where I choose to end the narrative of my trip.

Instead I think I am going to summarize the trip a little. Here is a list of the top five memorable moments of the week (in no particular order):

1) Horatio Sanz seeking me out to give me the Cubs score.
2) Ken Griffey's home run.
3) Tie between being the last ones admitted into Seinfeld's club and being the last ones admitted to Asssscat.
4) QUACK! QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!
5) Sitting on the balcony at Growler's with Isaac.

Day 33

2008-06-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

So it turned out that my dad was in Washington for some reason. So he canceled his plane ticket home and I canceled my train and we decided to drive his rental car home. This worked because it meant I did not have to wake up at 6 AM to drive to NY to return my rental car and then sit on a nineteen hour train ride. So that’s good. The less I have to deal with those Amtrak bastards the better.

But I still had a full afternoon to haul luggage around. My dad was about three hours away from D.C. and would not be able to pick me up until seven. I had to drop my car off at National (I refuse to call it Reagan) Airport by noon. This gave me seven hours with my luggage and not a whole lot to do in Washington, D.C. I took the Metro to D.C.’s gallery stop.

So what to do…it was a few minutes before one and I decided I might as well check out another movie. I was worried that they wouldn’t let me in with all my luggage but they did not seem to mind. So I went all the way to the top of the theatre where there is a lot of leg room in the corner, put my luggage down, and watched Hulk. It was great. Much better than the first one. Especially the ending.

So then it was three. And I only had four hours left. I decided to go for a walk. This was probably a bad decision but I also probably lost about ten pounds carrying my backpack all over the city in the ninety-degree heat. I was sort of half-heartedly looking for a sports bar that would be showing the Cubs game. I didn’t see anything of the sort. But I did find a library. I went inside for about 45 minutes, checked my e-mail, the score (not good news), and paid some bills. I also used the bathroom. And goodness sakes…I think there was some kind of homeless convention going on up in there. There were like eight of them in there, brushing their teeth, shaving, washing their underarms, etc. They probably saw me with my suitcase and thought I was a new recruit. “No recession my ass.”

And then I started walking again. I went to Chipotle and got myself a good meal and some cold water. Then I decided I might as well go see another movie. I decided to see Get Smart. And it was about what you would expect. Won’t win any awards but it was pretty funny.

My dad picked me up on the corner in front of the theatre at about seven. We drove up to BWI to exchange rental cars. By the time we got out of there it was about 8:30. We stopped in Frederick at a Cracker Barrel. This was nice because we used to live in Frederick. Then we drove until about two in the morning and spent the night in Morgantown. And that is all.

Day 32

2008-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ok...now I'm way behind. Still I think I am only going to do one tonight. Never fear. I plan to be caught up by Sunday.

Wednesday.

So after several days of having fun with friends, this was my first day of the trip (aside from Friday) that was spent mostly in solitude. It was also the first day of the trip with very few solid plans. I really had no idea what I was going to do. I just knew I was going to go to Washington.

I ended up sleeping till about ten. I called John because we had talked about getting some lunch. He was unable to make it because he was swamped at work. It happens when you work for the government.

I didn't end up leaving Isaac and Lauren's place (they live in the suburb of Gaithersville) until after eleven. I went to the Shady Grove Metro station and boarded a train. I ended up getting to D.C. a little after noon.

So what did I do? Not a whole lot. I saved money. I have done mostly every site in Washington before so I did not feel too stressed out about seeing a lot. I mostly just walked. And walked. And snapped pictures of buildings and monuments. I sat for a while at the World War II Memorial, which is very nicely done. Thank you Tom Hanks. There were a lot of old WWII vets checking it out. Of course none of them cry because WWII vets are real men. They know how to keep their emotions bottled up inside. Also, a lot of them were wearing shirts that said, "If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in English thank a vet."

I also spent some time at the Lincoln Memorial. I think this may be my favorite place in Washington, D.C. When I was little and we went to Washington for the fireworks we would always sit out on the big stone at the base of the memorial starting at about 3:00. It was a perfect spot, looking out of the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument. It also feels very cool in the shade of the memorial which is nice. And I went around back where there was nobody else and looked out over the Potomac. It was all very peaceful.

There was also something called the Folklife Fair put on by the Smithsonian. The themes were Bhutan, Texas, and Space. Manatees. It was okay. But it was hot and not very interesting.

So after several hours of this I was hot, tired, hungry, and extremely thirsty. I wandered off the mall and into downtown D.C. searching for some food. (There is of course absolutely nothing of interest to eat on the mall.) I finally stumbled upon a Chipotle. And right next door was a movie theatre. A sign across the street told me it was 91 degrees out. I literally said, "Fuck it. I'm going to eat some Chipotle and watch a movie."

So now I know my limit. Four days of walking around hot cities looking at buildings and then I hit the wall. I had a great lunch. I filled my Mr. Pibb three times. And I saw Iron Man. I loved it. Especially the ending.

I caught the Metro back to Gaithersburg at about 6:45. I ended up getting back to Isaac's place at about eight. Isaac, and Lauren, and I headed across the street to Isaac's local brew pub. It is called Growler's and Wednesday nights are $2.50 draft nights. Lauren stayed and had supper with us. Then Isaac and I went out onto the balcony and hung out for a few hours enjoying the night. It was a great time...maybe the best time of the trip, albeit the most relaxed.

Day 31

2008-06-25T21:46:00.001-07:00

Okay. I'm going to do this now. I probably should wait til morning but I'm already a day behind. So don't blame me if there are a bunch of typos or if I forget some key points from yesterday. After all. It is yesterday.

I don't know if I mentioned this yesterday but I decided to rent a car and drive to Washington. Once I made the decision to rent the car I was torn between Boston and Washington. Since I was unable to get a Red Sox ticket and the sites in Washington are more centrally located I went with D.C. The kicker came when I talked on the phone Monday night with my friend Isaac (who lives in D.C. and was in NY for the weekend with us.) It just so happens he landed four free tickets to Tuesday night's Nationals game. So that settled it.

I slept late on Tuesday. Jose left early in the morning, leaving me as the last one left in New York. I packed my stuff up, called a cab, and checked out about 11:15.

My taxi ended up costing 42 bucks. Another fee I can thank Amtrak for. It took me to the Avis in Midtown Manhattan. And this is where I experienced driving in Manhattan for the first time. That was a blast. Now I drive in Chicago all the time and have no problem. Now granted that may have something to do with the fact I know the city much better. But in New York the general rule seems to be just don't hit anyone or anything. Other than that it is a free-for-all. Luckily I didn't hit anyone and continued on my way.

I exited the island through the Lincoln Tunnel. I was in New Jersey. And the first thing I did in New Jersey was blow through the EZ Pass on the turnpike. You aren't supposed to do this in New Jersey. And thus I did not have a ticket for the turnpike. Regardless, my drive through Jersey was very pleasant. People like to bitch about New Jersey but it didn't seem so bad to me. Of course, when I got to the border they charged me full fare for the toll road, but it turned out to only be $6.70 so I can live with that.

An interesting thing about this drive was that I had no way of plugging in my iPod. So I was stuck listening to the radio for five hours. Now I listen to the radio for time to time to keep up on what is being played, but I can't remember the last time I listened to the radio for such an extended period of time. Pretty much I heard about three songs over and over. It was that new Usher song, that "she's my little hood thing" song, and "Lollipop". Now I don't really hate any of these songs but the fact that I heard each one over five times in this time span is proof that the radio is a dead art. It is ClearChannel's fault. Every station is exactly the same. Oh well.

Delaware was quick. And seven dollars. Amtrak.

I ended up getting to my destination, the Shady Grove Metro station, at about 5PM. I got on the Metro into Washington and arrived at the Nationals Stadium at about 5:30. I was ridiculously hungry and thirsty by this time. And I wasn't meeting Isaac and Lauren, who had the tickets, until 6:45. So I planned on finding a restaurant or bar to hang out in for a little while. Well guess what...there are none. There are lots of signs for restaurants and bars that are going to open in 2009. That doesn't help me much. I walked all the way around the stadium. Finally I found a lady with a cart. She sold me a Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos for two bucks. That worked for the moment.

Isaac and Lauren showed up right on cue. The fourth ticket went to my friend John Gagnon who I had not seen in quite some time. So basically it was a great group of old friends for this game, which was great. With such good company I even decided not to keep score. Which was a little bit ironic considering this was the first park I have ever been to that provided free score cards to all the guests.

What I will say about Nationals Park is that it is magnificent. They pulled out all the stops in this ballpark. Absolutely beautiful. Apparently if you go upstairs you can see all kinds of monuments and such. Which makes sense. I was too tired to go up there though.

My favorite thing at Nationals Park was that it was the first ballpark I have ever been to that sold a veggie hot dog. Of course I had to buy one. It was 5.25 and it looked like crap. But you must understand...in all my years of going to double digit baseball games every year I have never had the privilege of eating a hot dog at a ballgame. That all changed Monday night. It wasn't bad. Not great. But I enjoyed it anyway.

I also ate some cheese fries.

The game was terrible. The Angels scored six times in the top of the first inning, so it was never even remotely close. But we all had some good conversation and a few drinks and had a great time.

The trip is coming to a close. Just a little while longer. But a little more fun. And there is lots of fun stuff coming up this summer. So rock on.

Day 30

2008-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Monday...

Gotta tell you guys. I'm getting a little tired of writing these. It's mostly just because I have been so tired by the time I actually get to work on them. But I am already behind so I need to just keep cranking away at them. So here we go.

Monday. Monday was easily the most relaxed day of the trip so far. Isaac left last night and Jeff woke up at the crack of dawn to catch his flight. That left Jose and me. And we had sort of plans to get up early but that didn't pan out of course. We ended up sleeping till after ten and didn't leave the hotel till about 11:30. Sure is a good thing we got a hotel with free breakfast, seeing as we missed it just about every day.

The best thing about today is that the 7 line running into Manhattan was open. It was closed all weekend and this was one of the key sources of all our travel difficulty. But now it is open. We got on the 7 and in about ten minutes we were in midtown Manhattan. It was that easy.

We didn't have a whole lot on the agenda. It was mostly just walking around and seeing what we saw. But first we were hungry. We stopped at a place called the Great American Health Bar or something along those lines. Don't let the name throw you. It was really good. I had some sort of pasta with sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, etc. And some great falafel. And a real fruit smoothie!

Next we walked through Central Park. I am actually quite blown away by the sheer magnitude of Central Park. And the fact that it is a sanctuary set in the middle of one of the busiest hubs of humanity in the world is astounding. We only touched the tip of the iceberg in the park, sticking to the southeastern corner. They had a cool little carnival for the kiddies set up on the ice skating rink so that was cool. It is nice that a parent living in a surrounding neighborhood can just up and walk their kids down to the carnival in Central Park. And I bought a map and a postcard from a homeless guy who asked me to take him back to Chicago to take Michael Jordan's place or something of the sort.

Then we walked some more and some more. We passed Radio City Music Hall and came to Rockefeller Plaza. We decided to drop the twenty bucks and take the ride to the top of the Rock. At this point I realized how little I know about John D. Rockefeller (aside from the fact that he died, thus ending his chapter, and that THIS is the guy Sean Carter chose to name his company after.) There was a very small exhibit on his life and the history of the building. He seems like a fascinating individual. I think I am going to read a biography before the summer is over.

The elevator to the top was fun. We got up there in just a few seconds and there was some kind of sensory show on the ceiling of the elevator. And the roof was great. It is open air and it is literally the roof of the building. Unfortunately it was a little hazy out and we couldn't see all that far. But it really put the city in perspective. It also made the park look even more incredible. You can really tell the size of it from up there. It is stunning.

Afterwards we went into the NBC shop. I got to talking to the host. Actually, he got to talking to me. He saw my Cubs shirt and that got him going. He lives in Brooklyn and he showed me on the map. We talked about the Cubs, the Bears, the Bulls, Yankee Stadium, the Coney Island Cyclone, food, WBBM, sporting goods, and on and on like that. It was kind of funny. He was just this kind-of old retired guy who I'm sure does this all the time. At one point in the middle of all this a big black guy in a suit (presumably the manager) walked by and touched him on the arm and he snapped back into work mode, so I'm assuming this is what no out of the usual. His name was Donald. Remember.

Now we were ready to eat again. We ate pizza. It was yummy.

And the 7 was working. So we made it to Shea in about twenty minutes. The subway was sort of crowded with people, including a group of young people from New Zealand. One of the guys was a scary looking fellow with all kind of tattoos and piercings and he kept taking deep sniffs of a newspaper and staring people down on the train. Then we got to talking to them and it turned out they are a Christian rock band. This floored me. Then they got really defensive about how Christian rock is not a genre and Jose got really excited because he tells me that all the time and I don't understand what he is talking about and I still don't. Genres are useless anyway, but Christian rock fits the description of a genre as much as anything. But they were very nice. They were called The Parachute Band.

I found Shea Stadium incredibly relaxing. After the hustle and bustle and stress of Yankee Stadium it was nice to just sit back and enjoy a game with a sparse crowd, leg room, and no lines at the concession stands. And I don't think it is a terrible looking ballpark. It's not that interesting. There is nothing that really makes it stand out. It is the definition of a cookie-cutter park. But there is nothing terrible about it either. I found it a delightful place to watch a ballgame.

The game wasn't terribly exciting. Felix Hernandez, the Mariners' pitcher, hit a grand slam and that was the most eventful thing. Then he got injured, which annoyed me because he is on my fantasy team. The Mariners ended up winning 5-2, but the Mets made it interesting, bringing the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. So we got the chance to hear the Mets fans make a little noise.

We sat with a father and son who seem to specialize in sports themed vacations. They live on Long Island and are Mets fans. The father seems to have been to practically every stadium in existence. He gave me a few tips on the Washington Nationals' stadium (where I will be tomorrow.) He also says that he will not cry to see Shea go at the end of the year. They were fun, probably among the most enjoyable company I have had at ballgames.

After the game we caught the 7 back. We made it in no time and walked to the hotel. Another day is over. I am going to Washington next.

Day 29

2008-06-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday...

Today was the centerpiece of the trip. When we decided to come to New York it was to see Yankee Stadium before it is demolished. And today was the Yankees game. We bought the tickets before the season started for thirty bucks on Stubhub. Sunday morning I checked Stubhub and tickets to today's game, in our section, were going for $120. So it sounds like everyone wants to see the Stadium one last time. Or first time in our case.

Jose flew in this morning. He was kind enough to send me a text message and let me know he was getting on his flight at 5:30. I had been sleeping about an hour and a half. And I went back to bed. Then he called from the airport at ninish and woke us all up again. And I went back to bed. I ended up getting up a little before ten when Jose got in and we all started getting ready for the game. Kind of grumpily because we were all up so late the last two nights and were all so sleepy. But we got out the door a little after eleven and started walking to the train. That's when Isaac started bitching about being hungry but we didn't stop and eat because we wanted to get to the game.

We had no significant subway problems and we arrived at Yankee Stadium at about 12:15, approximately 45 minutes before game time. We stopped at a pizza joint across the street and Isaac was happy. The area outside Yankee Stadium is quite unique. I didn't even realize that the building I was looking at was the stadium. It just sort of looks like a big metallic wall. There are some bars across the street but nothing like Wrigleyville. And of course lots of people selling stuff.

The first minor annoyance of the day was that Isaac was not permitted to bring his backpack into the park. Something about...you got it...9/11. Furthermore, for whatever reason the park has no bag check. So some of the local bars saw a market and began offering bag check. So we crossed the street and Isaac checked his bag for five bucks. This was actually a pretty interesting bar because it was also a bowling alley, not exactly what I had expected. We went into the stadium (and found that we had to all show our phones at the gate...something about 9/11.)

Our seats were all the way the hell at the top of the ballpark. They were right behind home plate though and I kind of liked this. It was nice to have a broad view of the whole place. And the projects too, for that matter.

So my impressions. Once I sat down I started to feel the ghosts in the building. Just taking a moment to reflect on all the baseball history that has taken place in this building was overwhelming. That said, I can understand why they are replacing this park. Anybody who has ever complained about the hallways at Wrigley Field should take a trip to Yankee Stadium and compare notes. I think the hallways in my house may be wider. The seats are ridiculously far away from the field. Most aspects about the park are dingy and old, but unlike Wrigley (and presumably Fenway) there just do not seem to be enough redeeming elements to justify staying. But it is still a fantastic park that has housed a lot of historic moments and I am sure many Yankee fans will shed a tear on its last day.

The Yankees ended up winning this game, 4-1. Andy Pettitte pitched very well. But the highlight was definitely seeing Ken Griffey hit a solo home run. I was very impressed with the Yankee fans reaction to this. Most of the stadium gave him a standing ovation. In this, and in other circumstances, Yankee fans proved themselves to be one of the classiest crowds I have witnessed. They are very loud...when they are supposed to be, not when the scoreboard tells them to be. They are knowledgeable of the game and the players. So kudos to you, New York.

We also had a rain delay during the game. In fact, we had a very impressive thunderstorm. There was all kind of crazy lighting and it was raining cats and dogs (I can't remember the last time I used that phrase.) Luckily, our cheap seats worked in our favor and we did not get wet. Also, the Yanks have one of the most ghetto tarps I have ever seen. Makes sense I guess. It was just like a sheet of white plastic that didn't even have a logo on it. They held it down with a bunch of wooden planks.

Isaac had to leave after the eighth inning to catch his bus. So Jeff and Jose and myself left after the game and caught the subway into Manhattan. We had our typical troubles with the system but finally found Times Square and the Heartland Brew Pub. Unfortunately there was not a whole lot for me to eat there as a vegetarian. I got some chips and dip and a couple drinks and I was happy. Then Jose bit into a staple or something in his food and they gave us the meal for free. So good things keep happening!

After dinner we took a taxi down a few blocks to Chelsea and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre for a show called Asssscat. This is a sketch comedy/improv show started by Horatio Sanz and Amy Poehler. The show was at 9:30. It was free. We got in line at about 8:00 behind a load of other people. At about 8:45 the word drifted back that this was the standby line and there was very little chance we were getting in. At this point the friend we made, an aging hipster who claimed he saw us at Coney Island and dropped one of the greatest one liners I've ever heard about breasts on us, decided to leave. But our stretch of good luck continued and we somehow made it in.

And it was awesome. Amy Poehler was not there but Horatio Sanz was, along with four people I had never heard of. A couple of them were not very funny but the rest of them carried the show. Basically the concept is that one of the audience members shouts out a word (in our case it was "fire house dog") and the comedians go into sketch comedies involving this word. Then they sort of shoot off from this into other topics. It's pretty great and the best part is that it is all off the cuff so you know you will get a new show every night.

So we were among the last people in the theatre and we were kind of sitting off to the side, on the floor, next to a curtain. Not an ideal spot by any means. Now I was wearing my Cubs hat and Jeff his Sox hat, since the teams were playing each other tonight. All of a sudden, about halfway through the show, Horatio Sanz burst through the curtain right next to us and goes, "Hey guys", and I thought he was going to tell us that we weren't allowed to sit there. But instead he said, "The Cubs are up 6-1." So that was great. Not only were the Cubs winning but Horatio Sanz became the most famous person ever to seek me out to let me know that. Thanks Horatio!

We got out of the show a little after eleven. Since we saw a free show and ate a free dinner we decided to reward ourselves on all this saved money by taking a taxi back to the hotel. It didn't cost too much and it was so nice to get back at a reasonable hour. We watched a little tv, I wrote Saturday's blog (still a day behind), and headed to sleep.

Another great day...

Day 28

2008-06-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

I realize I am running late. But I've been going like crazy. This is Saturday's entry. I will try and get caught up by tomorrow night.

OK. So I put the Amtrak stuff completely out of my mind and set out to have a great Saturday in New York City. We were up until after three on Friday and so we slept a little longer than we anticipated. But we were up by nine and dining at the hotel’s free breakfast. It was pretty lousy. But free. And free.

Out the door by10:15. And on our first trip to the subway we had our first problem with the subway. The train we needed to take into Manhattan was not running. So we had to take the train east instead, and then transfer to another line, which added confusion to our lives. But we finally made it to Manhattan and our first stop of the day.

And that stop was….Ground Zero! And it was one of the most awkward tourist experiences of my life. Hundreds of tourists with camera all hyped up with absolutely nothing to see. Which should not surprise anyone…after all, the whole point of this site is what is missing. But mostly the masses were just kind of standing around not sure exactly what they should be doing. So they took pictures of the hole in the ground. And so did I, but only because they were. I can’t picture myself ever looking back through my pictures and thinking, “Oh yeah! We saw this hole in the ground and not the World Trade Center!” Also, the whole time I was standing with this crowd of people watching construction workers dig in this hole in the ground (seriously, if anyone has any idea what exactly they are doing down there I would be really interested) I kept picturing Peyton Manning in the crowd yelling encouragement.

And of course there were the vendors, hawking their wares for the crowd. 9/11 necklaces. 9/11 snow globes (how fucking sick is that?) 9/11 postcards. Yes…they have postcards that are just pictures of the buildings crumbling. What do you do with these postcards? Do you send them to your friends saying, “Greetings from New York!”? Do you frame them? Who buys this shit? Apparently someone cause these guys are all over the place.

9/11.

Anyway, we got out of there and walked southwards. We snapped a few pictures of the bull at Wall Street. He has huge testicles. Then we stopped and got some great pizza. There was a party of 9-year-old kids watching the Yankees game in the restaurant and just going nuts about it. They kept making comments like, “Jorge Posada is only hitting .294 but he is hitting .321 with runners in scoring position and less than two out on Saturday afternoons.” Damn, I loved those kids. And then some kid saw my Cubs hat and announced to me that he used to live in Oak Park. So that was cool. And there was also a kid in a Sonic Youth shirt. Damn, New York breeds their hipsters at a young age. We finished our food and moved on, despite the birthday boy’s father’s insistence that we stay for the forthcoming birthday cake.

So we headed for the Staten Island Ferry. This is a ferry that takes you to Staten Island for free. There is nothing all that exciting about Staten Island but the ferry is known for having some of the best views of the city. And it did! The south skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island were the highlights. And the Brooklyn Bridge. Great photo opportunities of sites that we didn’t feel like paying for.

And then we were in Staten Island. We sat for a while because we were tired of all the standing and such that we had been doing. And it was so beautiful out. Then we devised a plan of how we could get to Coney Island quickly and painlessly. It was about a twelve step plan. The first step was taking the Staten Island Railroad (no, New York does not respect Staten Island enough to run the subway down there) a few stops down. And so we saw a bit of Staten Island. What did I take away from this experience? Shaolin sucks ass. That Wu-Tang Clan is full of shit. I saw nothing interesting the whole time I was there. I certainly did not see any cool Wu-Tang sword style shit. In fact, the best thing about Staten Island is that it has some good spots to view the other boroughs.

So the train took us to a bus that took us to Brooklyn, New York City (where they paint murals of Biggie.) We got off the bus and onto a train to Coney Island. Except we went the wrong way. So we turned around and went the right way. It was an ordeal. But we eventually got to Coney Island right around the time the annual Mermaid Parade was ending. So the Mermaid Parade is basically just an excuse for people to dress up in ridiculous costumes and act bizarre. And it was perfect.

Coney Island was perfect too. It was filthy and hot and beautiful and kitschy. It was as big a slice of Americana as I could have imagined it would be. Though some traditionalist is sure to disagree with me here. Our goal was to ride the Cyclone but we didn’t care to stand in line so we didn’t. Instead we just walked the boardwalk, had a drink, and watched people. And people are so fucking weird! Coney Island had close to the perfect mix of hipster brats and blue collar folks who must have been absolutely baffled by some of these hipsters and freaks. But everyone seemed to be having a great time with it! Isaac and me struck up a great conversation with a really friendly guy with a live boa constrictor around his neck and two teardrops tattoos. But he was so nice and he was enjoying Coney Island with his family!

Anyway, we eventually left Coney Island and headed up to Brooklyn Heights. After the noise and chaos of Coney Island, Brooklyn Heights was an excellent break. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful. We ate at this restaurant with all-natural and organic everything. It got to the point where we prefaced everything with all-natural. Can you pass the all-natural mustard please? You get the picture. They even had organic beer. Which tasted a lot like regular beer. This leads me to believe that somebody got the brilliant idea of slapping the word organic on their beer and marketing it to hippies. Hooray capitalism!

After dinner we went up to the bluff at Brooklyn Heights and watched the sun set over Manhattan. It was gorgeous. The lights came on all over the city. New York is a truly incredible town. It is just so enormous. There is so much to see and so much going on. So we headed back out and tried to see more of it.

Our next stop was Times Square. I think we had a few more subway troubles at this point. But then we got there and stepped out into the bright lights of the square. It is a sensory explosion to be sure. People everywhere. As bright as daytime. So many things to watch. And I don’t know what could be more American than this. Millions of people come here every year to look at advertisements. This is a complete tourist site built around the act of tourists being told what to buy. And it’s not that people are too stupid to realize this. I think they realize it completely. It is that they don’t care. It is fun and why should we have to think about it? The lights are pretty.

So while walking Times Square a fellow approached us with some passes to Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy club. They were ten dollars apiece. It reeked of a scam but he told us that Charlie Murphy was performing and so was one of the girls from The Office so we took him up on it. We took the subway up a few stops and found the club. And the line. And the announcement that we probably wouldn’t be able to get in, regardless of the fact that we paid for tickets. We also found out that Charlie Murphy was not schedule to perform, nor was the chick from The Office, nor was there any evidence that they were ever planning to. Then it looked like we would get in after all. Then a bunch of attractive ladies showed up and it looked like we wouldn’t. Then the manager pulled some strings, rearranged some chairs, and told us to enjoy the show.

And the show was great. Despite the fact that there was no Charlie Murphy, we got put through a runaround outside, and the two drink minimum drinks were eleven dollars, we were all very happy that we chose to attend this. One of the comedians, Jay something, was being taped for Comedy Central and he was just hilarious. I literally cried a couple times. And my sides hurt. Maybe I will talk about it later. Most of the other comedians were pretty funny as well, but the last guy was just horrible. All in all, despite the ridiculously overpriced drinks and the scam, this was an excellent way to end a very eventful day.

Except the day wasn’t over. We still had to have one of the worst train experiences of all time. All kinds of different routes were closed. I can’t give precise details because I still don’t really get it, but the bottom line is that it took us well over two hours to get back to the hotel. We were all fairly grumpy by the time we got back, at about 3:15.

Of course, I snapped out of it pretty easily once I got my shoes off, took a shower, and sat down at the computer for a few minutes. I mean…it was just an awesome day. Why let some train difficulties ruin it? Tomorrow is another one. And then more.

There is so much left to be done!

Day 27

2008-06-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

This one picks up with the end of Day 26.

So after I blogged last night I headed to the Metra station in Hinsdale. I bought one of those big cans of Foster’s at the wine store across the street and got on the train. It was just a beautiful ride into the city. The sun was going down and I listened to Feed the Animals for the second time. This album is amazing. Greg Glllis mixed the best rapper alive with the best rock band alive; “Roc Boys” over “Paranoid Android”. It is just amazing. The Metra ride felt too short. But then I was at Union Station.

Oh yeah…the other thing that happened in Hinsdale…before getting on the train I got a message from Amtrak. It seems my train from New York to Boston, and my train from Boston to New York, have been cancelled. So that’s a pain in the ass. Now I have to call them sometime tomorrow and reschedule. So when I went to get my ticket to New York the lady seemed really confused by all this. I told her that I’m going to try and get on another train and she still seemed confused. But she gave me my ticket and that was that.

And then I went to the bar. I checked the Cubs score when I was on the train and they were up 3-1 in the seventh inning. This seemed good. I figured Marmol in the eighth, Kerry in the ninth, go home. But when I got to the bar it was 8-3 Devil Rays in the eighth. What the fuck? That was the final too. So that was no good. The Cubs continue to be not so good on the road.

Anyway…I went and got on the train and it departed at ten o’clock sharp. As soon as we got moving I headed over to the lounge car. It was only open forty minutes so I had to take advantage while I could. I had a couple Coronas and got to talking with a few guys about this and that. Then they closed the bar and everyone started bitching untl this one dude said he had some vodka. So he went over to the bar, asked for four cups of ice, and then went back to his seat and came back with the bottle. We all filled our cups, he made a toast to Nancy Reagan (sarcasm) or some shit like that, and we ended up hanging out there for probably another hour and a half. Turns out the dude works on an oil rig in Louisiana. So he talked about that and he made mention of something called the 3 F’s: Fur, Flesh, and Fluid. I can’t remember what the hell he was talking about but it had something to do with drug tests (hence the Nancy Reagan toast.) One of the other guys there is in the military and going to Syracuse to visit his buddy from Afghanistan. He kept talking about how the Afghanistanis (Afghans? Afghanis?) are “just like us.” Never quite figured out what that meant. But it was a nice time.

So finally I said goodbye to them and retreated to my seat. I popped in a Six Feet Under and ate some of the food my mom gave me for the trip. She packed a bunch of stuff for me because she did not want me to spend any money. Which is good but I am going to spend money anyway. And the bag broke so now the food is annoying me.

And then I typed this. Tomorrow evening I will type more and it will all be part of one big blog entry. You’ll see.

So sleeping on the train was not as pleasant as I had hoped it would be. I think it would have been better with the window seat. That way I would have had something to lean against. But as it was it was very fitful. I woke up many a time. Before I knew it the sun was coming up, which is never a great thing. I think we were somewhere around Cleveland when there was a full-blown sunrise. I just remember being stopped right next to the Cleveland Browns’ stadium for what seemed like an hour and not being able to sleep. But then after we took off I was actually able to get some of my most productive sleep of the night. I probably could have continued sleeping if some Homeland Security douche hadn’t woken me up to ask me if I were a US citizen. I still have no idea what the fuck that was all about but he methodically woke every single person on the train up to ask them the same question. We were in Erie, Pennsylvania I think. So I was kind of hungry so I decided I may as well get up and get some breakfast.

I went to the dining car at around 8:30. I ran into the military kid from last night and sat down with him. He was wearing an Afghani Freedom shirt just to make sure everyone knew that he did, indeed, fight in Afghanistan. I thought he should have written something on the back of it about them being just like us. I kid. He was actually a really nice guy. He bought me breakfast. I ate scrambled eggs and hash browns. And there were vineyards and Lake Erie everywhere we looked. It was very scenic.

After sitting in the dining car for awhile I decided to try and get a little sleep. When we got to Buffalo my seatmate got off the train, which allowed me to spread out and lean up against the window. I was able to sleep for a couple hours. It was very restful and nice. I woke up in Rochester.

The rest of the day was more of the same. Some nice scenery. I did not really do as much reading as I had planned. I was a little too enamored with the scenery. The train cruised alongside the Erie Canal for quite a while and ducked through some forests. I made a trip to the lounge when I needed to plug in my computer. Then we got to Albany.

In Albany I found out about something called “slack time.” This is when the train has been making such good time that you actually have to wait for an extended amount of time at a stop. In this case we waited for an hour and a half in Albany. This was good and bad. It definitely beats running behind. It was kind of annoying for me because I had just plugged in my computer and my phone and they shut off the power in the train. On the other hand, it was a nice opportunity to get out of the train for a little while and walk around the station. Not much to see there but I bought a much needed Dr. Pepper and stretched my legs. I also used a real bathroom which was nice.

I am writing this en route from Albany to New York. So far I can say that this has easily been the nicest stretch of the trip. The train track winds alongside the Hudson River and there are mountains to our west. I sat at my seat for a little while watching Six Feet Under but then my computer ran out of power again so I came back to the lounge where I am now. And I decided I may as well get caught up on my blogging. Also, I followed the Cubs/Sox game on my phone. Aramis Ramirez hit a walk-off homer for a 4-3 Cubs win. Rock.

So I arrived at Penn Station right on time. And I was a little confused about what to do and where to go. But I went outside and found the taxi stand. My driver wasn’t sure exactly where the Holiday Inn Express was so I had to call the place up and get directions. I was so sure that she was going to run up my fee. But she didn’t. We got there and it was only eighteen bucks so I gave her a big tip.

So here is where I experienced the worst part of my day. I mentioned the whole rescheduling my train to Boston thing earlier. Well once I got to the hotel I called Amtrak. After sitting and waiting for half an hour I finally got an agent. It turns out every train to Boston is completely booked. So I tried to reroute and go to Washington instead. I can get a train to D.C but I can’t get one from D.C. to Chicago. So that option is out. So basically there is nothing Amtrak can do for me. It’s just, “Hey. We messed up. Sorry, now your vacation is ruined.” I don’t know how they get by on this kind of customer service. So now I have no idea what I’m going to do from Tuesday on. But I’m not going to let it spoil my week.

So I took a shower. It was a great shower. But I broke the soap holding thing. I put my foot up on there to wash my leg and the whole fucking thing fell down. And then the toilet was all clogged up but that wasn’t really my fault. It was that way when I got here.

Isaac and Jeff arrived within two minutes of each other. Isaac was supposed to get here at the same time as me but his bus was oversold. Jeff’s flight was delayed. So they both got here after eleven. And we went out. What else were we gonna do?

Long Island City had no idea what was about to hit it. The first spot we hit was some blue collar bar that reminded me about the bar Isaac and me went to in Dodge City. But people were friendly. We were actually just looking for some food and they didn’t have any so we kept walking.

After walking several blocks we found a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant where nobody spoke English. I bought some rice and beans for three dollars. And a Corona for a dollar seventy-five. There was a three dollar disco ball for some reason and a song that went, “QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!” And the waitresses laughed at Isaac and me when we were bobbing our head to the QUACK music. FUN!

And then we headed next door to the Irish pub. It was a very nice little pub. They had something called Brooklyn Lager. Or something. We each had one. And talked about good times and prepared for more to come.

We got back to the hotel a little while ago. It is 3:05. We are watching American Beauty and having all kinds of difficulties plunging the toilet. SUMMER!

More tomorrow…

Day 26

2008-06-19T15:40:00.001-07:00

Here we go...

I spent most of today getting ready for the train. I went to the bank and got some cash. Went to the library and got Idlewild on DVD for the trip. I also got another disc of Six Feet Under. I think I have six hours worth of that show so that will help. I do have 48 hours in trains over the next week. And I went to Best Buy. I was looking for four albums. The Hold Steady (which may not be out yet), Silver Jews, King Khan and the Shrines, and Wolf Parade. They had none of those. So I bought the first K'naan album. I've never listened to him before but he is the first act that I plan on catching at Lollapalooza at 11:30 Friday morning, and seeing as he is one of the few rap acts at the festival I'm going to try and get into him.

And then I just kind of packed and sat around and such. Oh yeah...the new Girl Talk album was released today on his record label's site and it is free. Unless you are a sucker and you pay for it. So I downloaded it and listened while I ran errands. It is awesome. Very similar to the first one (or the first one people actually have.) There is a great Weezy/Sinead mash-up near the beginning.

Anyway, now I am just chilling, listening to Broken Social Scene (who is incidentally playing a Lollapalooza after-show with Yeasayer the Saturday of the festival), and being generally happy. I'm a little anxious about the whole getting on the train ordeal. And a little more anxious about the finding my hotel ordeal. But mostly I'm excited.

Also, my telephone rang about six times before nine o'clock this morning. Apparently somebody who doesn't realize that nobody in my house goes to sleep before 2 AM really wanted to talk. So that was cool. But I finally did fall back asleep and slept till quarter to eleven. Which was good. I got eight or nine hours each of the last two nights to help catch me up from about ten straight days of six or less. And it's probably a good thing cause I'm not sure how well I will sleep on the train. And I don't want to be TOO tired to begin my vacation.

Ah well, either way, I'll shake it off like a rock star!

And that's it. Tomorrow night I will have a full report on my 21-hour train ride. It should be good reading.

Day 25

2008-06-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Another half-ass blog entry for Day 25.

One quarter of the way through. But now it's going to start getting more interesting. My train leaves tomorrow night at 10 PM. I think I will try and post before then.

Meanwhile, didn't do a whole lot today. I worked and I watched the Cubs game and I ate Chipotle. That's about it.

So sorry...

Day 24

2008-06-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Once again posting in the morning. Not ideal, not ideal.

I finished two classes yesterday. Now I am done with everything. I did two presentations and the professors seemed to LOVE them. So that was cool. In the morning I did my presentation on the assessments I did. I wasn't sure how I was going to do in this class since I did on of my assessments, well, the day before. But I'm pretty sure I nailed the presentation at least. Then in the afternoon I did an impromptu presentation revolving around Dead Prez' "They Schools" which set off a huge class discussion...so that's always a good thing. My point was that whether we agree with individual bits of the song, or the language they use, the point is that they are representing the views of a sizable population that deserves to be listened to, which made the teacher happy. And she even talked about the importance of rap for awhile after that and pointed out to the class that there is lots of great philosophical writing about rap music (which always amazes me that people are amazed by this.)

Anyway...I think it went well. I finally got my first grade back. It was a "B". My first one. But that's okay because it was the class that I thought I did terribly in.

I came directly home after class and just chilled. Watched the Cubs, read for awhile, not much. Now it is off to work just four hours today, then get ready for the trip!

Day 23

2008-06-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I did not post this yesterday and it is now actually 4:30 on Day 24. I have been busy. But now I am DONE!

So yesterday I worked ten hours on top of all the homework I had to finish. But it turned out to be a pretty good ten hours. It didn't get off to a good start. I left my house late, not because I was sleeping but because I was trying to do too many things. Then it turned out my first student's mom had to take his sister somewhere so I had to HAUL to their house and still got there late. But it got better. I had good sessions with all three kids. And I went to Wendy's with one of them. So...food. And while we were there I gave him an assessment on addition and subtraction for a class. So it was productive and ice cream at the same time!

And then I got a birthday card from one family with fifty bucks and more awesomely a raise! Yay summer!

So then, at the time I am typically going home on Monday I instead had a team meeting for one of my kids. But that is okay because meetings aren't too bad. Basically we just sat around the table and talked for a couple hours. And of course ate Gardetto's.

But the down side was that I didn't get home till after 8 and I still had quite a bit to do. And then when I got home I ended up screwing around on the internets for a while. And then I got to work and finished remarkably quickly. I triple checked to make sure I had actually done everything. And I had. So now I'm done.

I was going to type this up last night. But I watched Six Feet Under. Then went to bed. So here we are. And here we'll be later tonight for Day 24.

Day 22

2008-06-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today was my most productive day in almost three weeks. I got a lot done but I still have quite a bit more to do. And I work ten hours tomorrow so it is going to be a long night for me. But I will be so happy on Tuesday evening.

So since I spent most of the day doing homework I don't have all that much exciting stuff to say about today. Except that I watched Malibu's Most Wanted while studying. I believe this was the first time I've ever watched it straight through. And it is a terrible movie. That said, I think there are a lot of interesting things in play here. For all the bad acting, cheesy dialogue, ridiculous plotlines, etc. it actually makes some pretty good points on the phenomenon of rich kids who wish they lived in the hood. I kind of doubt they did this intentionally but they kind of nailed it, albeit in a ridiculous manner. The film also pokes fun at the typical campaign that aims at stopping gang violence using useless methods. Of course, it's still a terrible, terrible movie. And they really don't touch on these issues beyond a really skin deep glance that only someone like me who watches for that kind of shit would pick up on. So basically, it was a pretty good idea for a movie, it just needed different personnel. And for God sakes...give it an R rating next time. I'm not sure there is anything cheesier than PG-13 gangsta movies.

So I guess Obama gave a Father's Day sermon today. I don't really see what the big deal was but I was watching Newsroom and Rick Sanchez was trying to make it out like there is going to be some big controversy because Obama is catering to white voters by saying black men need to be more responsible fathers. If someone gets what this means at all feel free to leave a comment explaining it to me. Then he compared Obama to Bill Cosby which just made me cringe. He says that Obama can expect the same backlash that Cosby received after he called out hip hop. Huh?

Well, I guess I should get some sleep. Almost time for NYC.

Day 21

2008-06-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

So I just finished spending a ridiculous amount of time playing Dolphin Olympics. Most addictive game ever. And part of another productive evening.

My new church is the Lakeview Seventh-day Adventist Church. I like it very much more than my old church. I think it is just a good group of people. Today we had a picnic at Horner Park after church. Ate lots and lots of food and then sat and chatted with the people. And threw the frisbee around. (Sheesh...frisbee doesn't pass the spell check.) I think what I like is the diversity of the congregation. Racially, age-wise, idealistically, everything. There aren't very many people there and they all get along well. You know...it is much more liberal than most churches, but it is not an arrogant liberalism. People may come to church not too dressed up but they aren't doing it to make a point. Furthermore, the liberal faction of the church does not feel like they need to be secretive about their differing ideals or hide them from the more conservative members. And there are some very conservative members. What I'm saying is that the church works well. I may expand on this another day. That's all I have right now.

Anyway...it turned out to be HOT out today. Pushing 90. And I think there was some kind of Puerto Rican fun day or something because they were all out all along Western Avenue waving flags and honking car horns and such. So it was nice to see them having such a good time.

Just beautiful outside.

After I fed the cats tonight I just drove around. It was about sunset and I listened to the Wrens and Band of Horses, two of my favorite sunset bands.

I think that is actually all I'm going to say about today. It was actually a very nice day. And the picnic was lots of fun and I could say more. But I'm not going to because I want to watch Six Feet Under before I go to bed and I have a marathon day of homework tomorrow.

It's about to get crazy....NEW YORK!

Day 20

2008-06-13T22:39:00.001-07:00

Breaking News: I was back at the gas station tonight. Guess who was there asking people for cash? So there you have it.

This brings up a world of questions. One of which...how is it that these people managed to make it 24 hours without getting kicked out of the parking lot? So I am now under the assumption that this family is homeless. Which is sad. But what I don't understand is why dude would make up a story about needing gas money to get home. You would think he would just say, "Shit man...I'm broke and living in my car...can you help me out?"

Of course, the more I think about it the more I don't blame him. The out-of-gas story probably makes a lot of people say, "Oh man, that's rough, he was out on a nice trip with his family and he just ran out of gas. I'll help him out." But I think there is a scarily high percentage of the population that believes that homeless people must be homeless because they are lazy and will refuse to give them a dime. And in many cases this may be true. But what point are we trying to prove when we don't give them money? Are we trying to teach them a lesson about the values of hard work and sobriety? Is it for their own good? Dude may be lazy and strung out but he still needs cash.

So that was that. I hope I see him again. Or I don't because I hope he makes it home. If only for the kid's sake.

The cats were frisky today. And I also saw a whole family of ducks in the backyard just bobbing around. It's like a friggin' forest preserve over at that house. Every day it is some new kind of wildlife up in there. I can't wait to see what is next.

Mostly though it was another slow day. I went to work for a while and did some assessments on one of my kids for a class I am trying to finish up for Tuesday. These last few days have been a little slow and quiet, but very pleasant. And it is nice to rest up because the wild, fun days are coming real soon. And then I'll have lots to talk about before bedtime.

So I rattled on about the Tha Carter 3 the other day, and for good cause because it is truly spectacular. But the other two albums I bought on Tuesday are also incredible. This has been a slow year for music IMO but I really feel like the three I bought on that one day could be the best three of the year so far. The Cool Kids EP just makes me ridiculously happy. I've heard over half the songs before but it is nice to actually own it in album format and be able to blast them in my car. And that new Spiritualized album is just gorgeous.

Which brings me to the part of the post where I talk about a weekend I am REALLY excited about. It isn't New York, Krissy's wedding, or Lollapalooza, though all of those are going to be just as great. It is Pitchfork/Rock the Bells weekend. Friday of Pitchfork will feature Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions. Saturday I will be skipping PoFo in favor of Rock the Bells...one of the sickest hip hop lineups I have ever seen and I will be in the pit, face to face with a who's who of the greatest of all time. So yeah...I should be pretty exhausted after those two days. BUT WAIT! Because Sunday, the day I keep forgetting about after all the other awesomeness, has just a ridiculous lineup back at the Pitchfork Fest. Including the aforementioned Spiritualized, Ghostface/Raekwon, M. Ward, Les Savy Fav, Dino Jr, Spoon, Apples in Stereo, AND MORE! Man, I love this summer.

Sorry to brag. But there is nothing quite like being alive in the summertime in Chicago. Nothing quite like it.

Day 19

2008-06-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

So this is yesterday's entry. Something happened that kept me from blogging last night. And that something was...

A BLACKOUT! Yes, the power went out between the hours of 8 PM and Midnight. That's four hours of no power. So I was unable to blog. Then the power came back on at midnight but I didn't feel like blogging.

The down side of the power being out was that I was unable to finish the things I needed to accomplish. Well, actually I really could have done them anyway. The Bishop cranked up the generator and that was enough to power the lights in the family room and the tv and the refrigerator and freezer and stuff. But, you know, once the tv was on we decided to watch The Office on demand. And eat pie. And freeze pops. So yeah...thanks to the power outage I didn't do any homework last night.

What I did do is play some basketball. I started shooting around and all of a sudden there were about twenty little kids in my driveway shouting PASS IT PASS IT OVER HERE OVER HERE! So I did. I don't even know who all these kids were. There was a kid name Qati who kept slapping everyone on the ass and making obscene gestures. Have to keep an eye on that kid.

Right before the power went out I was at the gas station and a dude asked me for some cash and I gave him ten bucks. Apparently he was stranded with this wife and son (and I did see them in the car.) They ran out of gas and were just trying to get home. Or maybe he was a panhandler. But I took his word for it. I figure even if it is all just a ruse to get some cash he could probably use the money.

So that is what I do now. I give money to strangers when they ask. And I don't say this because I want everyone to pat me on the back or anything. It's just what I've decided I should do and this blog is where I am voicing this type of thing lately so here is where I mention it. Maybe I am too fast to give money away but I think most people are too slow. Giving money to people on the street is one of the few altruistic actions that people actually get PISSED at you about. It produces all kinds of glares and tongue lashings about, "He's just going to buy drugs" or "Now he's always going to be hanging around here", like he's a fucking duck or something. But in all honesty, if he runs off to find his dealer, so be it. Dude said he needed money and I took his word for it. If he is lying, that's on him, but I did my part.

ANYWAY...the rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Ate at Chipotle. Watched the Cubs game. Considered my homework. Went to class. Brought a sub home. Fed the cats. All the usual.

I'll be back later tonight with today.

Day 18

2008-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't see the mouse today. I don't know if the cats ate it or what. I do know that the cats seemed dead tired today. Usually they come running to meet me when I get there. Today I had to go find them. So I'm guessing that doesn't bode well for mouse's fate.

My summer Wednesday's are LONG. And today I was missing a kid so they will be even LONGer. Also, one of my kids called me a "fucking idiot" today. Then he apologized and said, "I meant freaking idiot." That was fun.

I wrote a paper tonight. It sucks.

I also designed a roller coaster in my head when I was at work. Check it out. There is no track. Everybody stands on the platform in rows but they are not in a train like normal. They put on these jackets that are connected to a remote control. And then, as a collective group, they go through the typical maneuvers of a roller coaster. So basically they are just flying through the air. In freaking sane.

I am extremely tired and I need to get up in five and a half hours so I don't have much to say tonight.

OHHHHH...but I listened to Tha Carter 3 today. And it is just batshit crazy. I think this first dawned on me towards the end of "Dr. Carter", a song where Lil Wayne embodies some sort of hip hop doctor who fixes up whack MC's or something. Then that song ended and it went right into a song that began with the line, "I am not like you. I am a martian." Not only is this a funny first line....it is actually what the song is about. I think that Lil Wayne is turning into a mainstream Dr. Octagon. And no joke...the last song of the album fades into about a 7 minute outro where a stoned-off-his-ass Weezy explains why he does not respect Al Sharpton or anyone like him. YES! Weezy vs. Sharpton is the new BIG vs. Pac!

More later...

Day 17

2008-06-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

So a couple hours ago I went over to feed the cats. I fed them and the fish. Then I sat down to watch the last inning of the Cubs game. And then I heard a bunch of curious meowing in the kitchen. Not terribly odd since there are three cats in the house. So I look over and all three of them are congregated together...something I don't think I've ever seen before. And then I realized what it was...

A MOUSE!!!

EEEEEEK!!!

It scurried across the floor and the cats chased it around. And I jumped up onto the wall that divides the family room and the kitchen. Now this may seem funny and all but I had a pretty good reason for this and that is that mice are fucking scary when they are inside. Not when they are outside. If I see a mouse outside I don't think anything of it. Because they belong outside. But a mouse that is inside is out of its element. It is on human (or cat) turf. Everything is kind of twisted with the world when the mouse is inside. It's like frogs. If you see one outside you will probably pick it up and lick it or something. But if you are at the breakfast table and you see a frog on the table you might scream or something.

ANYWAY...the mouse ran under the fridge and I took the opportunity to get down. The cats kept batting at the mouse and I left while they were all occupied. I'm not sure what happens now. Do the cats eat the mouse when they catch him? Or do they just torture him? If Itchy and Scratchy are to be believed it isn't going to be a pretty sight. I sure hope they eat him so there isn't a dead mouse to worry about tomorrow.

So it was a pretty good day. And it has a story. And I went cd shopping after class. I bought three!

Cool Kids - The Bake Sale
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 3
Spiritualized - Songs in A&E

Also found out that Isaac is DEFINITELY in for New York so that rocks. And I think I made the decision that I am going to take a taxi to my hotel from the train station. I am not terribly interested in walking the four blocks from the subway to the hotel at night with all my possessions, including my computer. How the hell would I blog every night if my lappy got jacked? And I found a fare finder dealie on the interwebs that said it would cost about sixteen bucks for a cab. I can live with that for the peace of mind.

And I had Noodles and Company for lunch! Wisconsin Mac and Cheese with some tofu in it.

And the Cubs won. Not bad, not bad. Long day of work tomorrow.

I'm Mikey. I Rock.

Day 16

2008-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

So the first thing that happened today was that I couldn't find the fish that I am fish-sitting. I thought maybe he was dead but it seemed like he would be floating if he were dead and he was not floating. So I dropped some food in and he still didn't come out. And he didn't seem to be under the rocks. So I was kind of worried about that. But when I stopped by on my way back from work, there he was, swimming away. So false alarm that. And all the cats seem to be alive as well. So good day over there.

What else?

Not much. I started summer hours with my kids today. And one of them was missing. Which was kind of cool because I had a little extra time for homework and I also had a chance to read more of Sudhir Venkatesh's book. It just gets better and better. Seriously...go buy this book. You will not regret it.

Hmmm...I had an extremely difficult time sleeping last night. Must have had a lot on my mind. And I have been practically shooting caffeine into my bloodstream the past few weeks. So I'm a little jittery. I should probably cut that shit out.

New York seems to be falling into place nicely. Sadly, my old friend Michael is not going to be able to make the trip. But Isaac may which would be nice. Ten days from right now I will be on an Amtrak train for the first time in my life.

I think that is it for now. I am tired tonight. And I have to get up early. I am mulling over attempts to go to the Cubs game either tomorrow night or Thursday afternoon. If I don't I probably will not get to a game until July. But it probably would be best to save my money for New York.

Peace...

Day 15

2008-06-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty great...

I saw a branch blow off a tree AND it was Blues Fest...all in one day!

So it has kind of been storming off and on here for about a week. And it's pretty cool because when it isn't storming it is actually pretty nice out. So it is either warm and sunny or there is a kick ass storm happening. Well one of these quick bursts of thunderstorm hit early this afternoon. And I was watching it from my window and I remember thinking, "Goodness sake, I think a branch is going to blow off that tree." And guess what happened! A branch blew off that tree! It almost hit my car. But it didn't, so that is good news too.

I also wrote a paper today. I was productive! I might post it here later in the week. But after I finished I went down to Blues Fest. I was going to do a little more work first but then I decided, hell, why waste all this productivity on one day? Let's ration it out a little! And I took the green line down to Grant Park.

So I got to the festival at about 4:15. The first thing I found that caught my eye was a panel discussion on the future of the blues. This was pretty interesting but it kind of just turned into a bitch session among the panelists about why the kids aren't listening to the blues anymore. I was very tempted to take the mic and set them straight.

Here's the thing. The kids aren't listening to the blues because the blues is over. That's not to say that there aren't young blues bands that can really wail, or that the old classics are irrelevant, but blues as a dynamic art form is finished. And this is exemplified by the fact that these old codgers are sitting around crying about it. You know the surest symptom that a music genre has died? A bunch of old men sitting around trying to figure out why the kids aren't listening.

What they don't seem to get is that this is not a bad thing. It is just what happens with popular music. Yes, there are still FORMS of the blues that are very popular, and there will continue to be. But what these men are pining for is a very specific, rootsy form of the genre that cannot POSSIBLY exist again. They already happened. Music is about moving forward, not constantly reliving the past. Sure, there are throwback retro artists in every genre, and new and exciting things can be done with each genre's sound, but it is just silly to think that any one genre will ever be able to recapture the magic of its early years. That's why all the steps that these guys are suggesting (like more Blues in the Schools programs, for goodness sake) are self-defeating. Well, I shouldn't say that. I think teaching kids about the blues is a great idea...it is history. But to think everyone should stop pushing music forward and just regurgitate Muddy Waters songs? You are showing your age, gentlemen.

So, on to the music. I checked out some of the smaller stages. I found a great band from Louisiana. They were jamming and I decided I need to get back to New Orleans any way possible. And I am even, once again, considering getting a job down there when I finish school. Just for a little while. Maybe I could teach Blues in the Schools!

And then there was a little girl playing in a giant mud puddle during the set. She was awesome and so was the mud. She was doing literal somersaults in the puddle. She was just covered head to toe in mud. But she was having so much fun!

And the mud was everywhere. My clothes and my buddy were pretty damn muddy by the time I left. I headed over to Petrillo for Magic Slim and the Teardrops and ran into my friend Greg. So we hung out for a bit and listened to Magic Slim. They were pretty good. But here is where I level with you and admit that I don't know shit about blues (other than it is over.) Well, I know a little. I just can't differentiate a lot of it from a lot else of it. So I can go to blues festivals and blues clubs and really feel the music, but I can't tell you that much about what I heard or the musician playing it.

ANYWAY...then I found Jason and Becky and some other people before B.B. King went on stage. Now this is where I piss everyone off and say what (I believe) everyone else is thinking: B.B. King's set was kind of disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I don't hold it against him AT ALL. He's a diabetic 82-year-old...just the fact that he got up on the stage is commendable. But I honestly had a real hard time feeling the music. He only played about forty minutes or so and the set seemed kind of sloppy, with lots of breaks. When he left the stage I actually felt kind of relieved that it was almost time to sit down.

That said...I have the utmost respect for Mr. King as an artist and a legend. And I am willing to buy the fact that the trouble mostly had to do with the fact that the sound was a little too low, and I was far away, and everyone around me wouldn't shut up. So B.B. King, keep doin' what you do.

On the way back to the train we stopped at Millennium Park to walk in the fountain. Good way to cool off and get some of the mud off our feet. After the train, the drive, and feeding the cats it was about 11:30 when I got home. I took a LONG shower, ate some Flav-or-ices, and watched an episode of Six Feet Under. Now I am typing this and I am about to go to bed.

A very Happy Panda am I...

Day 14

2008-06-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

YAWWWWWN!

What a lazy Saturday...

I don't have many regrets. But today I regret not spending more time outside. It was kind of rainy outside this afternoon but it was warm. I could have at least sat on the porch. Oh well.

I went to church. It was rather boring. It seems like there was one notable thing that happened at church but now I can't remember what it was.

Ate lunch at Qdoba. I had Mexican Gumbo...MY FAVORITE! It was better than church.

And I spent a good chunk of my afternoon preparing for my trip to New York. I am compiling a list of sites to see, places to eat, etc. I found out about some pretty cool stuff today. For one, there is something called ASSSSCAT! or something of the sort. It is an improv comedy thing at 9:30 on Sunday night featuring Horatio Sanz and Amy Poehler. And it is FREE! So I think that is definitely a go.

And Isaac might come!

Got a smidgen of homework done tonight. But mostly not.

So yeah. That was my day. Not terribly exciting.

But tomorrow is B.B. King. YES!

Day 13

2008-06-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

So I had this idea about an hour ago that going to Seattle for Bumbershoot would be an excellent way to spend Days 99, 100, and 101 of my summer. The lineup right now is not jaw-droppingly spectacular but the tickets are cheap and I have a place to stay. There are enough good bands on the lineup to fill the days, including T.I. and Beck, both highlights for me. Then I looked at airfare and realized there is nothing for under $400 and that kind of put an end to my fanciful thinking.

Still, if they add Prince like the rumors say...I would have to think long and hard. The thought of wrapping up the best summer ever by dancing in the Purple Rain is almost too much to bear.

Now...on to real life stuff. I didn't wake up till about eleven today. And then it was already time to get ready to go to my three hours of work. And when I came back I mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedges and so much for doing much of anything else today. Not that I would have anyway. Jus' sayin' is all.

I am feeding cats for the next ten days. That is fun. After I fed them tonight I went to the 7-11 and got me a watermelon fruit punch. Very tasty and sweet. And I opened the sunroof and listened to Band of Horses. They must be in my top ten favorite bands to listen to on summer evenings. At least their first album.

What else...I sat out on the porch eating Chile Rellenos and talking about pre-destination with my dad. And it was dark out but all the little kids were running around playing a game called "Dead Man." I think it is kind of like Marco Polo without water or something like that. But I could be wrong.

Mostly I just can't believe how little really happened today. I don't really feel like the day even began. I am so used to eventful things happening. But today was ok anyway.

Anyway...tomorrow I may try to make it to Blues Fest. I may not. I really should stay home and do a little homework since I will be in the city all day on Sunday. But how likely is that?

Peace...

Day 12

2008-06-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

OK...

So yesterday's post felt a little forced. Which is bound to happen when I am forcing myself to blog every day. But it is not ideal. Every day there are things that happen that are interesting and worth noting. In fact, even yesterday when I struggled to come up with things at the end of the day I actually had several things happen over the course of the day that were certainly blog worthy. I just was blanking on them when it came down to it. Perhaps I need to start taking notes throughout the day.

For the moment I will tell one thing that happened on Day 11 that I wish I had noted yesterday. I got my first mosquito bite of the summer. I realize that this is not exactly a cause for celebration but it means that summer is in full swing so that's cool. Also, I told my mom and she panicked about West Nile Virus. She says that what with the wedding next month and all she can't handle me dying right now. That seemed like one of the weirdest overreactions anyone could possibly have when matter-of-factedly about a a mosquito bite. It's always an adventure...

And for today I will talk about one other thing that I do not enjoy per se but it always puts me in a good mood. Every year there are these little fluffy things floating in the air in the beginning of June. They make me sneeze, which sucks, but they always come with warm weather so there is that association in my mind. And today it was 87 degrees out so there is that too.

Today I just had my morning class and it was actually very enjoyable. We talked about politics and schools and Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and Ronald Reagan (ugh) and stuff like that. And racism. Lots of racism. And then it was 11:30 and time to go home already and no work today. Good day. So I stopped at the Citgo/Subway on the way home to get a Dr. Pepper/Sub and there was a lady yelling at the gas station attendant all crazy like, "WHY YOU UP IN MY KOOL-AID!?!?!? Like really lettin' dude have it. And she was with another lady and a guy and a little kid and they just looked kind of embarrassed. But she was just screaming at the guy and he didn't even seem like he knew what she was talking about. Then when I was driving away I passed them walking on the road and she was still screaming about her Kool-Aid. Hooray Entertainment!

So I had big plans to get a lot of work done today since I didn't have to go to work. Yeah, that worked about as well as you would imagine. I came home and ate my sub and watched Weeds. Then, of course, I watched two more episodes of Weeds. Then since I wasn't getting anything done anyway I went to Borders and spent a bunch of money on the new Nick Cave album, a book (which I'll discuss in a moment), and a frozen coffee (87 degrees out.)

After supper I actually did get a little bit done on a paper I was supposed to turn in two days ago. I worked outside which made it enjoyable. But then I came inside to watch the Cubs game and made the mistake of picking up the new book I bought. It is called Gang Leader For a Day and it is amazing. It's by this Indian-American guy named Sudhir Venkatesh. He was a grad student at the University of Chicago in the late '80s and he just decided he wanted to learn more about race and poverty and such and so he just showed up in the 'jects and started hanging out with the Black Kings. I can't put it down. I read until the Cubs game was over. (They won.) I will certainly have plenty to say on this book later.

So then it was 12:30. I certainly would not call it a wasted day. It was a glorious day. But I didn't get much done in the way of homework. Which kind of sucks because I was hoping to get a lot done so I can go to Blues Fest this weekend. But never fear...I have devised an in depth plan of how everything will work out. It goes like this: I just go to Blues Fest anyway.

Oh yeah...after the game and the reading were done I watched the first episode of Six Feet Under. I think I got me another show to watch on top of everything else.

Party like a...

Day 11

2008-06-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Should I be sad that summer is 1/10 of the way over?

My theory is "NO". There is 9/10 of the summer remaining. And furthermore, even when it does end I never feel quite as sad about it as I thought I would be. I think this is because it is usually still warm into October, the Cubs may be in the pennant race, and before you know it it is Christmas time. There is always something...

But first things first. Lots of summer fun to go.

Today was the day after birthday day. I got up and took my dad to the airport. Then I pretty much just lazed around much of the day. I made myself some of those Morningstar Farms tomato basil burgers which are actually pretty good. Better than the Pizza Burger at least. I cut up some guacamole and tomatoes to put on them. And sliced up some strawberries and ate them with sugar. For dessert...FlavorIce!

So I was going to do some homework before work but instead I watched the final two hours of When the Levees Broke. Kind of a downer. But I would definitely recommend it. Just prepare to be depressed and angry.

And then I went to work. Worked four hours. Went on two bike rides. The second one was splendid. It was about twenty minutes before sunset and just splendid outside. We went to the pond. There were ducks.

Now I am watching Weeds.

Good night.

Day 10

2008-06-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Birthday Day!

I am 28-years-old now. Most people don't think I am that old. I guess this is considered a compliment when you are older and an insult when you are younger. I am kind of in between so it is just kind of the way it is. For what it's worth, I don't think it really matters one way or the other. I could be 28 on my way to 103 or I could be 19 on my way to 37. It's not about how many years you have been here, it is about how many years you have left. And that hardly matters either. But I have to imagine I have quite a ways to go in that department. Yes, there will be many more years of fun for me.

Now...as far as birthdays go this was a pretty damn good one. I had class all day which tried with all its might to be a hindrance to my enjoyment. Back-to-back, EXTREMELY boring classes. So I broke it up by going to Ruby Tuesday's with classmates for lunch. But still...by the time that second class ended...my golly.

I stopped at Borders on my way home because they sent me a nice little 25% off birthday coupon. I was going to get that new Spiritualized album (one of the bands I will see this summer!) but they did not have it. I was going to get something else but I could not decide what. So I didn't. I will go back later in the weekend. Now you know.

So the birthday evening had two rounds. The first one was with family. They gave me all manner of gifts. Mostly a bunch of clothes...which is good news because I need clothes but I hate spending my money on clothes when there is fun to be had. And now I have Pumas. I also have a ticket to Neil Diamond. I was going to go with my parents but now they seem not to be going. So we'll see what happens with that. Then we went to Sweet Tomatoes for supper and ate a lot.

Round 2 of birthday evening was at Buffalo Wild Wings where a small gathering of friends and family got together to watch the Cubs game. And some of them brought me gifts, which I was not expecting but YAY! It was a fun time talking with friends who were not all friends with each other, but all seemed to get along just fine. And the Cubs won.

I'm not an attention hog at all in real life (though I am on the web.) But it is nice to have a birthday every year to be the center of real life attention. It seems fair...everyone gets ONE a year. There may be nothing as fair and balanced in all of American middle class society than the concept of "BIRTHDAY". And that's all I'm going to say about that right now.

I need to stop doing these the day after. It is much harder to collect my thoughts on something that happened yesterday and it defeats the purpose of ending every day with a reflection on the day. But I was too tired last night. I should be on with Day 11 late tonight.

Also...before I go...

OBAMA!!!!

Day 9

2008-06-02T22:37:00.001-07:00

Today was pleasantly uneventful. It was also pleasantly warm. I worked about five hours this afternoon/evening. I was supposed to have a meeting for one of my kids. I showed up and the meeting had been canceled so I ended up working with him instead. And he was pissed about that. And I wasn't terribly thrilled. So with about 45 minutes left in our session I said, "Screw it, let's go to Burger King." And I bought him a shake. So I'm sure that left him nice and sugared up for his parents.

And my other kid was absolutely priceless today. He seemed especially autistic, bolting across the room every thirty seconds to rearrange toys and such. And he was working on a subtraction worksheet but was struggling to get through a problem without wandering off somewhere. So I would redirect him. And then one time I decided I wasn't going to redirect him. Here is what followed:

"Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike! (shaking arm) Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Lift up your mouth Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! (tickling me) Hi Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike! Wah! (fake cry) (tickling) Hi Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike! Move your mouth Mr. Mike! (grabbing jaw) Talking Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Hi Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike! Do some work Mr. Mike! Mr. Mike!"

And so forth, until I finally could not keep from laughing anymore. Then he won.

Then we rode bikes to the park and wouldn't you guess his horn fell off his bike. He seemed to be missing a piece and I couldn't get it back on. So he screamed the whole way home from the park.

So that was my day. I ate a lot of Flav-or-ices today too. Those may be one of my favorite parts of summer. I love how you can just keep eating them forever and never get full. And they are just so unbelievably refreshing.

And the Cubs have won eight in a row.

And tomorrow is my birthday. Yay me.

Day 8

2008-06-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Most of the group felt pretty rough on Sunday morning. I was not one of them. I think that the two hour rebound actually worked to my benefit because I woke up at about 11AM (7 hours of sleep!) feeling great. We straightened up the cabin a bit, doing things like boiling water to wash the dishes. And it did not smell too good in there. We took off a few minutes before 1:00.

A few miles down the road the whole caravan stopped at a place called Frosty Tip. It's just a little stand off the highway with some killer cheese curds. And of course ice cream. A weird thing that happened at the Frosty Tip is that we seem to have gotten kicked off our bench by a gang of elderly bikers. Didn't see that coming.

The drive back to Chicago was long and uneventful. Thankfully the timing worked out and I was able to listen to the Cubs game. Especially nice since Ellis and Seth pretty much passed out from the moment we got in the car. We dropped Ellis off at the Applebee's and arrived back at my house at about 7. Seth left soon thereafter.

All in all...a delightful weekend. The first of many summertime highlights. There are many more things I could say about the weekend, but I have to keep it pretty minimal when I am forced to do so many posts in a row. But this weekend was all about socialization and friendship. And that is really what life is about. So I certainly felt more alive this weekend than I have in a while.

I'll talk at ya tonight...

Day 7

2008-06-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Epic.

Rose at about 10:30 after a surprisingly restful night's sleep. I really do enjoy air mattresses.

And then it all just sort of runs together. Especially the day-time hours. Ate, drank, took a couple trips to the local gas station (which amazingly had Boca Burgers) etc. We also took a pontoon ride out on the lake. Mostly it was just a great time conversing with old friends and getting to know new ones.

Bill brought four bottles of Andre to the cabin. We drank the first couple of them during the daytime hours. We passed them around the circle and each person would tell some type of story involving Paul before taking a swig. It was an absolutely wonderful time of the weekend.

Then, around sunset, came Beer Pong, which seems to be about where most of the group started to lose it (and by "it" I mean their sobriety.) This was evidenced by the fact that the religion conversations started to break out. For some reason, within our group (and apparently the other group as well), drunkenness has always seemed to lead to discussion of spiritual matters. Before it could get too far, however, we decided that a good plan would be to head back out onto the lake and kill the third bottle of Andre. And that's what we did...more stories...and coldness.

We returned about twelve and a Texas Hold'em game broke out. I did not play. I passed out. The end of my day. Except...

EPIC REBOUND!!!

Yup...I slept for two hours and woke up with a gigantic headache to Bill's announcement that he was going outside to the fire with the last bottle of Andre and anyone who had anything left in them was welcome to join him. I didn't have it in me. But I gave in to peer pressure (particularly from Ellis who seemed to have taken up the role of pushy asshole by this point of the evening.) I bundled up in a blanket, popped some Tylenol, and joined in the fun.

Round about 3:00 somebody proposed that we go out on the boat one last time, mainly to look at the stars. Well, this seemed like an absolutely terrible idea to me. But once again I gave in and Bill, Ellis, and I closed out a long day on the lake. Shit, it's Summer of Fun. Summer is about the joy of life and the joy of life is about doing things like going out on a boat at 3AM to look at the stars. And it was fantastic. Best idea ever. And the moon was rising. A red moon. Everything was quiet and perfect with the world. Bill talked about experiencing God on a starry night on the lake being much more meaningful to him than experiencing Him inside a church. And I don't think anyone was in a position to disagree. Everything was just so big and small and real and beautiful. We spent an hour on the lake and then returned to fall into a very happy sleep.

Day 6

2008-06-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Yeesh...I'm behind.

Friday.

I scrambled most of the day to get ready to go to Wisconsin. First I had to work this morning for three hours. Which was brutal considering my marathon paper writing on Thursday. But I pulled it off with a little help from my good friend Caffeine. After work I went home and did a bunch of menial little stuff to finish the assignment I spent Thursday working on. Then I went to the post office to mail it, the bank, and got my oil changed. I realize that these are all very exciting details of my life that everyone has pretty much been dying to find out. Now you know.

In between all of this I did catch a few peeks at the Cubs game. It started bad with the Cubs trailing 9-1. Then they put a bunch of subs into the game and just went ape shit and ended up winning the game. This, of course, slowed me down quite a bit in my packing for the weekend. When my good friend Seth arrived at about 4:00 (top of the 8th) I realized I still had more to do than I hoped.

Then came the LONG drive to Door County. Traffic is a bitch. Instead of taking 294 I just shot up Route 83. Down the road a ways I saw a sign for 294 and decided we were probably past the worst of the traffic so now would be a good time to get on the freeway. What followed was one of the oddest experiences in the history of travel:

I cannot do justice to the absurdity of this road...here is a picture of it. Even the map fails to really grasp the pointlessness of it. What happened was we turned right and found that each side of the road was split into two halves separated by a median. If you were in the right lane you could not move to the left one...and vice versa. Until we came to the stoplight. Then there were literally (Seth counted) twenty different options of things you could do. We elected to stay on the right side of the road since it was where we were already. Bad idea. After moving along parallel to the left side for a ways, the right side of the road inexplicably sloped upwards, took a sharp left turn, AND CROSSED OVER ALL THE OTHER LANES OF TRAFFIC! Then, another sharp left turn, AND BACK IN THE SAME WAY WE CAME! We ended up exactly where we started, heading in the exact opposite direction. We nicknamed it the Iraq War Memorial Parkway for this reason.

But what really gets me about this road is that there is absolutely no reason that anyone ever would consciously use this road. It is literally a road to nowhere. And to think taxpayer dollars actually went into building and maintaining this road just blows my mind. I blame George W. Bush.

Why do I blame Bush? Because I am a follower and it is very cool at the moment to blame George Bush for everything that ever happens anywhere. When I went to the Autism Walk I stopped at a BP near Soldier Field to use the bathroom, only to be alerted by the elderly, African-American security guard that the BP employees reserved the right to keep their restrooms off limits to the public. I was very disappointed but the security guard assured me that he didn't really blame the employees. This is what he said, "People go in there and boo boo on their hands and wipe it on the walls and then the employees have to clean it up. And now on top of that you have Bush in the White House fucking up the economy." Which was my favorite thing maybe all month...George W. Bush taking the blame for people "boo booing" on their hands and wiping it on the wall. BRILLIANT! What else can we blame him for?

ANYWAY...we finally just got back on 83 after what turned out to be about a 20 minute loop (it took this long because you can imagine how long a red light takes when there are twenty different options for drivers.) We finally did find a road that took us to the highway though and then we were cruising. And it turned out that we made it to Delafield, WI, where our friend Ellis manages an Applebee's, at the perfect time. We went to the grocery store and made purchases for the party, then over to the Applebee's for dinner, and finished up right about the time Ellis got off work. We stopped for gas and we were on the road to Door County by about 9:15.

This was a LONG trip but a pretty fun one with good company. Highlights included heat lightning and some meth heads at a gas station in Manitowoc. They looked like they were enjoying their evening! By the time we got lost in Door County, WI it was about 12:30. Go Mapquest! We crossed a bunch of roads with names like "Cemetery Lane" and "Dead End." It really felt like we were in the beginning of a horror movie. Luckily I don't believe in all those old legends! (sounded funnier in person)

These are the people who were at Bill's Cabin for Paul's bachelor party:

Paul
Bill
Dan
Mike
Jesse
Ellis
Steve
Jim
Seth

I think there was someone else inside the house.

So we stayed up and hung out around the fire until about 4:30. At one point, around 3 or so, Mike and Jesse up and left to go back to Green Bay because they both had plans in the morning. But the Andrews side of the party (Ellis, Seth, Paul, Me) kept the party raging, trying to pick the top ten comments people from our group made over the years. Then we crashed...

TO BE CONTINUED!!!

Day 5

2008-05-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

This will be a brief post. I need to get some sleep. But I would not feel right if I broke my 101 Day promise. And I'm not sure I will have Internet access tomorrow and Saturday. But never fear. A promise is a promise...if I am unable to log on you will hear from me three times in rapid succession on Sunday night.

Today I spent (nearly) the entire day finishing my work for one of the worst classes I have ever taken. It is a word-finding class. Supposedly we learn how to work with children who struggle to find appropriate language in the midst of a conversation or when asked questions. I had high hopes for the class...but the professor didn't pan out so well. 100 percent of the material we learned in the class was nothing more than her personal methodology. She sold us both of her books, totaling well over one hundred dollars. She nit picked and cut points on everyone's assignments (including mine until I found the key...copy her book word-for-word.) And her web-based syllabus is one of the most disorganized jumbled-up messes I have ever seen. Every time I think I am done with everything I discover some other ridiculous detail that is hidden in some corner of the webpage instead of in the class assignments list. To overcompensate I wrote one of the most organized papers I have ever written, complete with a table of contents! And you know what else I did? By my table of contents I put next to each content, in parenthesis, how many points that section is worth on her grading rubric. If she is going to dock me points for something I did not do I am damn well going to have proof that she is docking me for something that is not on the rubric.

ANYWAY...she can do what she wants because I am done now and feeling good. And I don't want to hate on anyone too much on this blog. It is a happy blog. I just wish she would go do two hour seminars at schools or something because being a grad school professor is something she is not very good at. And tomorrow I will go to work for three hours, drop my final paper in the mail, and then leave for Paul's bachelor party in Green Bay. It should be a great day. And a great weekend.

But let's find some things that went well today...

I went back to my school in Downers Grove and handed out P.E. awards today. And they gave me free lunch. And then they suckered me into taking the kids to recess. But that was okay because I got to play basketball. I love playing basketball with middle school kids because it is maybe the only time in my life when I have been a good basketball player. I get all show-offy. You should see it.

Also they gave me a 20 dollar gift certificate to Chipotle for my birthday! Woot!

And I took a study break right before the Cubs game to go to Chipotle and use my gift card. And I bought a burrito bowl and some chips and guacamole. Then Krissy ate a bunch of my chips. But that was my fault for not eating them right away I guess.

And the Cubs won. Four in a row.

So looking back, even though I was busy, it wasn't the worst day in the world. I worked with the windows open and there was a nice breeze. I didn't have to work. I listened to music all day. And I half-heartedly watched the Cubs game.

And now my class is over....YAY!!!

Day 4

2008-05-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

Field Day. It went okay I guess. The kids were APE SHIT crazy. Some of them cried. Most of them just kind of bounced off the walls. And threw water balloons at each other. And me. Even though it was cold out. But it was fun.

And we had a big kickball game. That was great. Kickball rules!

Today I went back to the school I used to work at in Naperville. I had to do a quick observation. And it was really nice to be back. I love going back but I get stressed out because of having so many people I need to talk to in such a short time. Especially today...I had to speed from the Field Day in Downers Grove and got to N'ville about 45 minutes before the end of the school day.

Now I will talk about Beth Langley, the support teacher I worked with at that school. She was out for the entire school year on medical leave. She has been very sick. The parents of the kids in the school are really coming through for her though. A collection is being taken up because apparently the family has some exorbitant medical bills. Giving money is something they are good at over there. Which is nice. Anyway, Mrs. Langley is a great teacher who has been very important to me, both professionally and as a friend. I remember last March when, on the first two days of the NCAA Tournament, she would peak into my classroom every 15-20 minutes to update me on all the scores. When another staff member teased her about the way she was spending her day she said, "My job is to keep Mike happy so he can do his job." She is one of the people I have to thank for my current career plans. So if you pray, please say on for Beth Langley. If you do not pray, keep her in your thoughts...it works the same way.

Well...that took it out of me much more than I had thought it would.

Also, the ninth inning of tonight's Cubs game took a year off my life. But they won.

Happy Summer Everyone!

Day 3

2008-05-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm still not entirely sure what a Pneumonia Front is. But I never, ever want it to happen again.

That said, I was stuck inside most of the day anyway. What with class and all. That was a drag. And I can't remember the last time I had such a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning. I have a very busy week. But when it is over, after the after-party, it's the motherfucking bachelor party!

OK...so...things to talk about. Man, I'm really tired...

I went to the teacher store today. I felt like a teacher. So that's good. I bought some stickers for the Field Day tomorrow. And a book on sign language.

The Field Day tomorrow. I'm putting on a Field Day. Many of you probably know that I picked up a gig teaching P.E. at a tiny Seventh-day Adventist school three hours a week. I don't know very much (read: anything) about teaching P.E. so I pretty much just did what all my P.E. teachers did...order the kids around, make them do a bunch of stuff that I sure as hell wouldn't want to do, then start up a football game or something in which I prominently flaunt my superior speed and size (well...size at least.) ANYWAY...school year is ending and I have to throw a Field Day together tomorrow. It's not going to be very good. But I will talk about that tomorrow since it is happening tomorrow.

But today I prepared for it. Not as much as I should have. One of the catches is that this school does not have very much equipment AT ALL. So I'm going to another school in the morning to borrow a bunch of equipment. And tonight I ran to the CVS to buy water balloons at 10:00. Can't imagine that many people wander in at 10 PM to buy water balloons.

Actually, going to the CVS was probably the highlight of my day. No, I don't plan on looking back on today as the highlight of my summer. But going to CVS gave me an opportunity to drive around on the empty streets listening to Bonnie Prince Billy. I think that the recipe for a completely happy life can be found in listening to the right music at the right time of day. This is not an exact science of course, but if you follow this formula you will probably be doing all right:

Upbeat, loud, trunk rattling music by day.

Giddy, full, sing along music at sunset.

Sad music late at night.

That's a start at least. And it especially holds true in a car. And it can be adjusted to fit the particular mood. But I have rarely found a time when sad music did not sound best late at night. This is just the BEST (and ONLY) time of day for sadness. But the beauty of it is that nighttime sadness does not even really feel like sadness. It is just the normal state of being for these hours. Every bit of happiness must have some melancholy attached to it to make it real, and this is when it comes out. And pretty soon the sun will come up and it will disappear. Then it's time to pop in 36 Chambers and throw yr "W" up!

Day 2

2008-05-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do my blogging outside whenever possible. That is what I am doing right now. It was 83 degrees out today and now it is approaching sunset and perfect.

I am home now. The worst part about house-sitting was that I did not sleep very well this weekend. I think that I feel asleep fairly easily...but I can't tell. Usually I have music on when I go to sleep, so I am able to gauge in the morning how long it took me to fall asleep, based on what the last song I remember was. While in Naperville I did not listen to music, so I just kind of slipped into an abyss at some unspecified time. But the real problem is that I would wake up at about 5:30 and not be able to get back to sleep. It was very bright in the bedroom when the sun came up. And also the birds were extremely loud. And one morning the smoke alarm went off for some reason.

Today I received word of two deaths. This is maybe not the positive vibe I am going for here but it is what happened. The first was Jeremi Gonzalez who used to pitch for the Cubs. I saw this on the news just moments before Susana left a comment on my "Day 1" entry. If you are looking for an interesting first hand account of his death, go read the comment. He was struck by lightning. So it goes. The last time I saw Gonzalez pitch in person was when he was on Tampa Bay and he broke Sammy Sosa's bat, revealing the cork. (Don't quote me on this...I could be mistaken.) Anyway...it was just kind of interesting.

About half an hour ago my family got a phone call from London with word that my 85ish-year-old cousin Eugene passed away this morning. Eugene grew up in Poland and moved to England after the war. A few years back he began tracking down his distant relatives across the globe, including his family in America. After a little correspondence via mail, Eugene came to visit for two weeks last summer. It was a whirlwind trip as he got whisked around to visit relatives in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Apparently he spoke very highly of his trip and his wife insisted that his son get in contact with Eugene's American relatives. So it goes.

There are two robins playing on my front lawn.

What else...today was Memorial Day. No big goings on. The weather was beautiful. I mowed the lawn. Got a little bit of work done...not much. And OH!

Today I discovered Flight of the Conchords. I know I am WAY out of the loop on this one, but those guys are hilarious. If you, like me, missed the boat on them, go look them up on YouTube IMMEDIATELY. It will bring joy to your Monday night. Particularly the gangsta rap track "Hiphopasaurus vs. Rhmenocerous."

And CUBS WIN! Another good day...

Day 1

2008-05-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, I apologize for my absence. I have no excuses.

Now that that is out of the way, let me tell you what I am doing here. Today is the first day of my 101 Days of Summer Fun. If you know me you probably know that I live for the summertime. And this summer is going to be the best one yet...Paul's bachelor party, a week long trip to NY and Boston, three classic ballparks in three days (Shea, Yankee, Fenway), Milwaukee for Summerfest, kid sister's wedding (the sister...not the rapper), Pitchfork/Rock the Bells weekend, Lollapalooza, and all the Cubs games, street festivals, and barbecues that make summer in Chicago such a wonderful time.

So what could make the best summer ever even better? That's right...telling everyone else about it! So there you go...it is my intention to blog every day for the next 101 days. Hey, it's a pain in the ass...but it is better than actually studying or something lame like that. So consider this my great web memoir. My "webmoir" if you will.

So...I realize that I should have been hyping this up all along. But I didn't. Because I was busy not doing other things. But that isn't important. What is important is that my fantastic summer began today. And it wasn't exactly the kind of day that I will look back on and say, "That was one of the best days of the summer." But it was also not the kind of day I will look back on and say, "What a shitty day that was!" I would say, when all is said and done, I will probably rate it around the 63rd best day of the summer.

Pros...I didn't have to do anything lame all day. It is always nice at the end of the day to be able to look back and realize nothing really crappy happened all day. The closest I can come is the fact that the Cubs lost because Alfonso Soriano dropped a routine fly ball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. But they are still in first place and coming home tomorrow so everything is still okay in that department. And I was not watching the game at the moment so that helped.

We don't talk about cons here...usually.

Actually, the more I think about it, the better today was. I slept until ten (always good), took a long shower at the house I am house-sitting at (another positive...they gave me a hundred bucks just to stay at their house for the weekend, leading me to wonder if their house is haunted and this is actually a dare...oh well, I'm still alive!), and then went back to my real house. And Paul (my future brother-in-law to the uninitiated...you will get it all eventually) was there because today was Krissy's (sister) boring ass wedding shower, which apparently featured something called bridal bingo and a deep fryer. So we went to Rock Bottom, had a couple beers, ate macaroni, and watched baseball. Great, huh?

Then I went to Oak Park and met up with my old friend Rob, who shaved his beard. We hung out outside, which is always a good thing to do in the summertime (IT'S SUMMERTIME). And did I mention...it was 80 DEGREES TODAY! But the most interesting thing of the day was at Chipotle. While we were eating outside (WHERE IT WAS WARM!) we were approached by a middle-aged Hispanic man looking for two dollars so he could take the train home to Cermak and Damen. Not sure what he was doing in Oak Park, but I gave him the two bucks and we had a long conversation about all manner of things. Here's what we found out...

Julian grew up in Chicago. As a teenager he was a golden glove boxer and at sixteen he traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana to compete in nationals (where he won.) According to Julian, he was all set to go professional. The papers were signed and all the arrangements made...but the alcohol won that bout and it was never to be. Instead, Julian got a job as a machinist (or something) and started a family. Eventually he and his wife split up, and three months ago he lost his job. Julian acknowledges his alcoholism as a problem, but says he "may as well just keep drinking now." His one great pride in life is in his two children. Julian is a survivor and from the start he taught his children to be the same. When his daughter was a freshman in high school she was harassed by one male student for about a month before she knocked him the fuck out, sparking a meeting between Julian and the principal. Julian claims he taught her to fight like this. He also taught both his children to use firearms...a skill his son put to good use as a sniper with the marines. He has served two stays in Iraq but he is currently at home, a fact that thrills Julian who was able to see his son, daughter, and two grandchildren at the same time last weekend. On May 28, his son will go to North Carolina where he will serve another six months before being discharged. An unfortunate fight with a superior (Julian looked both ways before dropping the "N" word) kept him from becoming a sergeant, but Julian is just happy that it appears his son will escape the war unscathed.

And this is how I spent my day. After talking to Julian I decided that the summer should be about meeting interesting people and hearing their stories. Everyone has a story that is interesting and worth hearing. And everyone deserves to have their story heard by others. People may say that they do not want to talk about themselves, but their actions say otherwise. It only took about two loosely related questions for Julian to share his entire life story. The 101 Days of Summer Fun are an account of my personal stories...I would like to use it as a forum for other people's stories as well. I'm going to try to find one person a day...though I fully realize that many days I will not meet anyone.

Finally...if you look at Julian's story you will notice that I included no personal analysis on his life and choices. I simply related to my readers the things Julian told me on the Chipotle patio. For the most part, I would like to follow this format. I am not trying to solve anyone's problems here...simply listen and relate the fascinating stories they have to tell. Now, I can't promise I will never meet someone that calls for a more in depth discussion, due to certain aspects of their lives that are just too interesting. But for the most part...this is about telling stories, and that is what I did here.

And what am I doing now? I am sitting on the back patio at the house I am house-sitting at. The sun just went down and I am having a 312 and writing this. There is nowhere I'd rather be right now (except maybe Sasquatch.)

Just 100 more days to go...

Concert Review: Jay-Z (and Mary J)

2008-05-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday night’s Jay-Z / Mary J. Blige co-headlining show at the United Center was a milestone concert for me. Not only was it my first live encounter with the greatest rapper of all time, it was also the first hip hop show I have attended in an arena. This only occurred to me as I was driving to the concert and I became aware that I was not entirely sure how I would adapt to watching a performance from roughly half a mile away.

The verdict? Within the confines of the arena hip hop felt a little less like hip hop. But this may have more to do with the artist than the venue. Jay-Z has become increasingly adamant that he does not in fact consider himself, first and foremost, a rapper. American Gangster is full of lines like, “Please don’t categorize this as music.” And I’m starting to think this is more than just irrelevant semantics. It is entirely possible that Jay’s phenomenal rap skill is the least important aspect of his public figure.

And herein lies the paradox: the greatest rapper of all time only raps as a hobby. Just last year he went to see American Gangster, got inspired, in three weeks churned out an album worthy of being mentioned with his best work, and then went back to selling clothing and having sex with Beyonce. Jay’s popularity, both critically and commercially, can be chalked up to the fact that people just flat out wish they were him. That’s why he can write a song like “U Don’t Know”, where he describes his wealth in perhaps the most literal terms in music history (“One million, two million, three million, four/In just 18 months, 80 million more/Now add that number up with the one I said before/You are now looking at one rich black boy”), and still have the crowd singing along word for word. Jay-Z embodies the best possible scenario for millions of Americans, and in turn this population imitates and respects him.

Take fashion for example. Jay-Z entered the rap game at a time when rappers had by and large ceased to care about style. All the flash of the ‘80s had given way to the jerseys and sagging jeans championed by N.W.A. and any number of West Coast artists. Hip hop style began to mirror the hopelessness that pervaded popular rap lyrics. Jay changed all that. His attire, like his whole demeanor, was an affront to those who would wallow in their hopelessness. And judging by his audience on Saturday night, his fans have bought into this. In sharp contrast to the typical hip hop show, much of the crowd was dressed to impress, many coming in full suits and formal dresses. (Note: The white people didn’t get the memo. Most of them (myself included) wore hoodies.)

It is in this way that Jay can spend so many lyrics rapping about his wealth and still be hailed as a socially conscious rapper. As he puts it, “I do this for my culture / to let’em know what a nigga look like when a nigga in a roaster.” Jay has given the downtrodden a voice. He has shown that it is okay to hold your head high and shout down adversity.

Perhaps this is why Jay-Z is so adamant about identifying himself as something other than a rapper. If he truly sees his life as a model for the inner-city success story, it would make sense that he would not want to play into the myth that the only way to make it out of the hood is through rap, basketball, or drug sales (never mind the fact that he has been involved in all three of these at one time or another…it is not relevant to the main point…I guess...at least not in this review…we’ll talk later.) Jay-Z portrays himself as a businessman, providing another, more realistic, career goal for inner-city youth to aim for.

What else. Oh yeah, the show. It was pretty much what I expected. Jay-Z performed with a several-piece band (who knows how many…kind of hard to tell from that distance) that sounded pretty tight. He was charismatic and possessed pretty good control over the crowd, despite the fact that it was far from the ideal setting for a rap show. New tracks were spliced in with the hits. Highlights of the set included Memphis Bleek’s appearance for a blistering one-two punch of “U Don’t Know” and “99 Problems”, sing-along versions of “Encore” and “Big Pimpin’”, and an endorsement of Barack Obama. And lots of other songs that I’m not going to mention now because, well, you get the idea. There are some set-lists floating around the Internet.

I do wish that Jay had completed more of the songs he started, even at the expense of a shorter set-list. I would have liked to hear more verses on “Say Hello”, “No Hook”, and “99 Problems.” Even “Izzo” was cut short after just one verse, though I found some humor when Jay skipped ahead to “POOF! Vamoose son of a bitch.” Just had to get the best part of the song in!

There was a unique feeling about this concert. It was closely related to the strange sensation of seeing a hip hop show in an arena, but not quite because this feeling would not have been present at a Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, or even Kanye West show. It was not until a few days after the concert that I was able to put my finger on exactly what this feeling was. This did not seem like a show by a popular, hyped artist. It felt like a U2 concert. Or a Paul McCartney concert. And all at once it occurred to me that, of all Jay’s achievements in the rap world, perhaps the greatest of all is that he is the first rapper to have aged gracefully and morphed into a mature, arena-packing, adult contemporary (ouch…I know) act. This may not sound flattering to Jay-Z (though I doubt he cares…remember the whole sex with Beyonce thing), or a whole lot of fun to you and me, but it speaks volumes for the genre and how far it has come.

As for Mary J. Blige, she sounded very good but I am not a huge fan and was good and ready for Jay-Z by the time she brought her set to a close. What struck me about her set was how much the womenfolk LOVE her. And all the duets she did with Jay were wonderful. Show opener “Can’t Knock the Hustle” and closer “Heart of the City” were definite highlights of the evening, but for my money they both paled in comparison to a moving “Song Cry.” The Blueprint hit is one of my favorites for Jay’s unabashed willingness to confront his sensitive side and on Saturday night two legends proved that no matter how big the United Center is they were big enough to make it feel small.

A Short Update...

2008-04-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well it was my goal to run two of these things a day and finish by the beginning of a April. As you can see we are not even halfway finished with the first round, Kansas is the national champion, and baseball season is well underway. So are we aborting the tournament? NEVER!

I've decided there is no reason to rush through this thing. We will post match-ups little by little and over the course of a few months choose the champion. Seems I bit off a little more than I can chew. It's just that writing two of these things every day gets a little tedious. And I'd rather blog about some other things from time to time as well.

So bottom line...keep checking here often because match-ups will sneak up from time to time. And there will be other oddly entertaining stuff here too.

Peace.

First Round: Daniel Plainview vs. Kelis' Milkshake

2008-03-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

DANIEL PLAINVIEW

Seed: 6

Overview: A newcomer to the tournament, you will believe this oil man when he says he is here to make a splash. Comes with a pint sized deaf son.

Pros: Somewhat of a bad ass. Hot hand right now.

Cons: Lacks parenting skills.

Outlook: It is doubtful that even Nasty Nas himself will be able to keep Daniel Plainview from drinking Kelis' Milkshake up.

KELIS' MILKSHAKE

Seed: 11

Overview: Kelis' milkshake is perhaps the most well-known such delicacy of the decade.

Pros: Kelis' milkshake is well documented to be "better than yours." It has brought many a boy to the yard, including Nas.

Cons: Just happens to be going up against an opponent built for the destruction of milkshakes.

Outlook: Should get drunk all up.

First Round: A Wee 3-Year-Old Girl vs. Linkin Park

2008-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

A WEE 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Seed: 4

Overview: A wee 3-year-old girl last met Linkin Park four years ago in this tournament and scored a big victory.

Pros: Not Linkin Park.

Cons: Inexperience. Limited vocabulary (yet still vastly superior to her competitor's.) Also, I just can't bring myself to post a picture of a 3-year-old girl on my blog.

Outlook: This is a good match-up for a 3-year-old girl. She may still be trying to get her bearings about her, but Linkin Park is a nice practice game for her before she faces what could turn out to be an ugly scene in a second round meeting with Pirates.

LINKIN PARK

Seed: 13

Overview: Linkin Park is a comically terrible rock band from California. Some people seem to think they created a genre or transformed a genre or some dumb crap like that. Maybe they are right. I mean, where would we be without a genre where some dipshit sings the verses in boy band-like melody and then starts screaming and growling about something crawling in his skin when the chorus hits? And I guess they opened the doors for bands like, ummm, Drowning Pool.

Pros: They seem to inexplicably hang out with cool people like Jay-Z. So...maybe they are cool by association? Maybe?

Cons: You choose one.

Outlook: When Rick Rubin can't make you sound good you know you are in trouble. I see no way LP avoids getting pwned by a 3-year-old girl.

First Round: Tony Rich Project vs. Pirates

2008-03-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

PIRATES

Seed: 5

Overview: Pirates are known to sail the seven seas and raid things and such. Many of them lack body parts, presumably from previous adventures.

Pros: Ummm...you have to ask?

Cons: I don't think they exist any more. And if they do they have shit like...GPS and stuff...and that makes them significantly less badass.

Outlook: Pirates are a perennial contender but I think they may be losing some steam. People seem to be getting tired of pirates. You know...a few years ago you couldn't get enough of pirates...but now, it's like, Johnny Depp...ok? Make a new movie...you know?

TONY RICH PROJECT

Seed: 12

Overview: You probably best remember Tony Rich from his 1996 hit "Missing You", in which he just kept "thinking about that love that we had." Apparently he has a couple more recent albums. But who cares?

Pros: That song was kind of catchy.

Cons: The Tony Rich Project is cool...but no Tony Toni Tone.

Outlook: How far can they go on the power of one radio single? Who knows? (I do...not very.)

First Round: Autism vs. Kickball

2008-03-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

AUTISM

Seed: 8

Overview: Autism is everybody's favorite fad disorder! You've certainly seen it on the cover of Time or CNN. Enough said.

Pros: Autistic kids are usually pretty funny and cool.

Cons: Often confused with Asperger's syndrome, a disorder with only a fraction of the pop culture sexiness.

Overview: It's hard to say how people will vote on this one. For instance...does a parent of an autistic child vote FOR the disorder in support of their child, or against it in a fit of Cure Autism Now fervor? Difficult questions to answer.

KICKBALL

Seed: 9

Overview: Kickball is a game that is mostly played by elementary school children and the occasional hipster. It is exactly like baseball except you kick a larger rubber ball.

Pros: You can peg people to get them out. That's pretty fun. The rules are simple.

Cons: Inexplicably absent from most people's day-to-day consciousness.

Outlook: Kickball has been severely underrated for years. Beats me why there aren't 40,000 people flocking to kickball stadiums around the nation every day. In the meantime, kickball faces an intriguing first round match-up and it should be interesting.

Sorry for the hold-up...

2008-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've been a little swamped what with school finishing up everything for school. The tournament will get rolling again on Thursday night.

Thanks for your patience and continued support.

Peace...and much love to ya.

First Round: My Dad (1) vs. Miley Cyrus (16)

2008-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

MY DAD

Seed: 1

Overview: My dad is the coolest dad. He is cooler than your dad.

Pros: Looks good in a goatee.

Cons: Doesn't have a goatee any more.

Outlook: My dad is a perennial favorite in this tournament. Last time we ran this tourney he ran all the way to the championship game, where he was of course defeated by the juggernaut that is Robert Goulet. Similar results are expected this time around from the man we call "The Bishop."

MILEY CYRUS

Seed: 16

Overview: Miley is the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus...the guy who sang that "Achy Breaky Heart" song. She is expected to be the new Britney Spears, meaning everyone will stop whatever they are doing whenever she pukes.

Pros: Little kids dig her.

Cons: She's going up against my dad.

Outlook: Not hopeful for the young, Disney singer. She would have a legitimate shot if she were not going up against my dad, who is a beast in this tournament.

First Round: Dwight Schrute vs. A Pekingese

2008-03-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

DWIGHT SCHRUTE

Seed: 2

Overview: Dwight has emerged as one of the most popular characters on The Office.

Pros: Exceptional ping pong player. Owns a lot of cool weapons. He's some kind of a volunteer safety officer. Practices martial arts. In short...there are many, MANY ways Dwight Schrute could off a Pekingese.

Cons: Questionable family history includes traces of Nazism. Not cool.

Outlook: Dwight should coast here. In fact, it may not be a bad idea for him to rest up and let Mose play this round for him.

A PEKINGESE

Seed: 15

Overview: A pekingese is the favored pet of the Chinese Imperial court. They are now known for being funny and moppy looking.

Pros: Cute.

Cons: Harmless.

Outlook: Legend has it that a Pekingese was created by the Buddha to be a temple dog. he was specifically made small so he could chase little demons out of the temple. A pekingese is going to have to come up with a whole bunch more crazy shit like this if he is going to upset Dwight Schrute.

First Round: Judd Apatow vs. Christmas

2008-03-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Seed: 4

Overview: Writer/Director of such films as 40-year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. This relative newcomer to the scene is looking to make a splash this year with fellow Jew-Tang Clan members Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan backing him up. I’d like an invite to that Shabas dinner.

Pros: Connections to Stella members Michael Showalter, David Wain, and Michael Ian Black. Is also rumored to be down with Michael Cera, which by proxy, makes him unassailably cool.

Cons: Casts members of Greys Anatomy in his films.

Outlook: Apatow is a fan favorite this year, and with a strong supporting staff, looks to make a deep run in this tournament.

CHRISTMAS

Seed: 13

Overview: Perhaps the most celebrated of all Christian Holidays, Christmas has incorporated many aspects of pagan and other cultural rituals in the name of Jesus. Christians have continued to decry the fact that Christmas is being taken away from them, despite the fact that 95% of Americans celebrate it.

Pros: Gives us a chance to play with our Red Ryder B.B. guns.

Cons: Only comes once a year, and unfortunately not in March. Also, Santa apparently can’t keep up with Wii production.

Outlook: An early loss by Christmas this year may be cause for more claims of persecution by Christians, despite the fact that they have, in some form, been in a power position since….um….Constantine.

First Round: Sunny D vs. Purple Stuff

2008-03-17T21:36:00.001-07:00

SUNNY D

Seed: 7

Overview: A popular orangey drink that is bottled by Dr. Pepper...so that's kind of cool. Sunny D is mostly known for those goofy commercials where a bunch of kids chose it over all the other drinks in the refrigerator. More recently it has received a renewed popularity boost because everyone wants to be like that cute Juno girl...hey, at least Sunny D isn't as ridiculous as wearing skirts over jeans.

Pros: It's healthy, right?

Cons: I never really understood the difference between Sunny D and orange juice.

Outlook: This should be a competitive battle but it is doubtful that either competitor will be able to stand on their own against stronger foes. Let's face it...Sunny D and Purple Stuff need each other.

PURPLE STUFF

Seed: 10

Overview: Known to many only as Sunny D's opposition, Purple Stuff looks to shake the shadow of its big brother and move out on its own. The fact that nobody is entirely sure what it is makes Purple Stuff a true wild card in this tournament.

Pros: Purple liquids usually taste all right.

Cons: I just can't shake the thought that it might be grape tang. Even worse, it may or may not be the same liquid that killed Pimp C.

Outlook: This is Purple Stuff's golden opportunity. Unfortunately it has been in the position many times and those energetic, athletic youngsters always go with the Sunny D.

First Round: Pitchfork vs. Toast

2008-03-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

PITCHFORK

Seed: 3

Overview: The popular music web-zine was founded Ryan Schreiber who, sick and tired of being told what to listen to by Rolling Stone and MTV, decided that HE should be the one to tell people what to listen to.

Pros: Makes fun of bad bands that think they are good like Louis XIV, Jet, and Ghostland Observatory (okay, I admit, I've never listened to Ghostland Observatory. But I take Pitchfork's word for it.)

Cons: Have to be careful reading it at work (those damn American Apparel ads border on NSFW when you work in a first grade classroom.)

Outlook: Everyone will vote for Pitchfork but nobody will admit to voting for Pitchfork. Personally...good but not great...I give them a 7.9...Recommended.

TOAST

Seed: 14

Overview: I tip my hat to the person who invented toast. In fact, I just had me a couple pieces half an hour ago...ironically while reading Pitchfork's South by Southwest reviews. Buttered or dry, pumpernickel or rye, it's all good...except with marmalade because marmalade is fucking gross.

Pros: Name three people who dislike toast. That's what I thought.

Cons: Name three people who religiously check on their toast several times a day and consult it before trips to the record store. That's what I thought.

Outlook: Toast is a big underdog here, but is certainly a Cinderella contender. I mean...come on...who doesn't like toast?

First Round: B-52's vs. Georgia O'Keefe

2008-03-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

THE B-52’S

Seed: 5

Overview: With their upbeat new-wave dance meets surf rock sound, The B-52’s cruise into the tournament on the high of their most recent success….doing the theme song for Rocko’s Modern Life.

Pros: Fred Schneider is unassailably cool, and Kate Pierson still manages to exude an aura of pure sex.

Cons: In 1994 they did a cover of the Flintstones theme song for the live action Flintstones movie.

Outlook: Honestly, who is going to vote for Georgia O’Keefe over the B-52’s?

GEORGIA O’KEEFE

Seed: 12

Overview: She drew a bunch of pictures of flowers that look like vaginas.

Pros: Cheap porn.

Cons: Her work has been commended as being strongly vaginal. Does that word make you uncomfortable Mr. Lebowski? Vagina!

Outlook: Yonic images are often considered to be a symbol of fertility and the goddess. Unfortunately, the B-52’s are misogynists.

First Round: National-Louis University vs. Gonzaga

2008-03-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

NATIONAL-LOUIS UNIVERSITY

Seed: 6

Overview: NLU is the oldest university in Chicago. Its most famous alumnus appears to be Richard Hatch of Survivor fame. Apparently at one point the school was called The National Kindergarten College...how awesome is that?

Pros: Small class size.

Cons: I don't have any money.

Outlook: National-Louis University is this year's host school and as such ought to have a favorable crowd. But Gonzaga's always a tough out come March, so we'll see.

GONZAGA

Seed: 11

Overview: Gonzaga is a Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. The school rose to athletic fame in the late '90s when the basketball team started beating higher seeded schools in tournament games. Then they started to actually be a good team...and began losing to lower seeded teams.

Pros: Bing Crosby and John Stockton. Ranked 25th most fit school in the United States by Men's Fitness Magazine.

Cons: People are getting kind of tired of them.

Outlook: Y'know...all this research kind of makes me wish I went to school there. Seems like a nice place. ANYWAY...the Zags are an underdog which usually works in their favor. I expect a low scoring affair with a high rate of voter apathy.

First Round: Soulja Boy vs. Taft

2008-03-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

SOULJA BOY

Seed: 4

Overview: Souja Boy Tellem (what the hell kind of name for a rapper is that anyway?) can be credited with starting a new trend in hip hop...one in which seventeen-year-olds just walk around all goofy like screaming "YAHHHH" in the face of unsuspecting white people (like Taft?) who are just trying to figure out what in the devil he's talking about. BIGGITTTY BAHHHH!

Pros: Lots of people still don't know what "Superman that Hoe" means. Once they catch on it may be over for the seventeen-year-old (I wonder if his mother knows.) Either that or it will just become acceptable.

Cons: Got F's on his report card.

Outlook: Soulja Boy should cruise. I'm trying to think of more to say but I can't stop laughing at the prospect of Soulja Boy and Taft competing against each other at anything. Seriously...chess, freestyling, diplomacy, ping pong, farting competitions. Every single one of these would be hilarious.

TAFT

Seed: 13

Overview: William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States. He is also believed by many historians (like my good friends SixTimes) to be our "most walrus looking" president.

Pros: It seems like he would be likable. Plans to beat Soulja Boy at his own game by releasing the new hot dance/single "Bust Your Trust."

Cons: Could stand to lose a few pounds.

Outlook: I fully expect Taft to...ummm...ok, I'm sorry. Now I'm just picturing Taft doing the "Crank That" dance.

Ham (8) vs. Dan O'Brien

2008-03-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

HAM

Seed: 8

Overview: Often confused with the non-kosher cuisine, Ham was the son of Biblical boater Noah, who is often confused with fiction.

Pros: Has bested tougher opponents…like the flood.

Cons: Is named Ham.

Outlook: It might be a rough match-up for Ham, seeing as historically his approach has been waiting till his opponent (or dad), is drunk, and then taking advantage of him. Lets hope Dan O’Brien likes the sauce.

DAN O’BRIEN

Seed: 9

Overview: Dan O’Brien was a former Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon and has been referred to as the best decathlete of the 90’s. No one debates this because no one knows any other decathletes from the 90’s. Best known for his Reebok promotional “Dan vs. Dave” competition. No one really knows what happened to Dave.

Pros: Is good at sports games

Cons: Was a decathlete in the 90’s.

Outlook: If Dan has kept up his game, he may be able to…um…what do decathletes do? Jump over Ham in some fashion, be it with a pole or preceded by a hop and a skip.

First Round: River Tam vs. Snuffleupagus

2008-03-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

RIVER TAM

Seed: 5

Overview: River Tam is a genius looney tune who escaped from some kind of Academy and began flying around the universe on a spaceship with her dweeby brother and a colorful cast of characters who got themselves into all kinds of entertaining pickles before Fox decided to move on to other quality programming, like Greg the Bunny. She is now a terminator who seems to be developing a personality.

Pros: Can kill you with her brain.

Cons: Canceled.

Outlook: Beware the 5-12. River Tam is a cult hero and if she builds up steam could go far in this tournament. Unfortunately, she earned a tough draw in Mr. Snuffleupagus, who could be a sentimental favorite.

MR. SNUFFLEUPAGUS

Seed: 12

Overview: Aloysius Snuffleupagus, once believed to be an imaginary creature, turned out to be oh so real when the adults finally saw him in 1985. Snuffy has a little sister named Alice that you probably don't remember. She goes to Snufflegarten.

Pros: He's a fuckng elephant....or something.

Cons: Seems a little mopey.

Outlook: Now that they believe in him everybody likes Mr. Snuffleupagus. Unfortunately, their love for Snuffy is a bit wishy washy. He should go as far as your sentimentality takes him.

First Round: Shatner vs. No Child Left Behind

2008-03-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

SHATNER

Seed: 1

Overview: Big victories for Bill Shatner include wins over the Klingons and unfair rate hiking hotels. Having narrowly pulled the upset over Patrick Stewart in the Enterprise Captain’s Conference, Bill Shatner will get a chance to boldly go all the way this year.

Pros: Sexy as a svelte James T. Kirk, sexier as pleasantly plump Denny Crane.

Cons: Khaaaaaaaaans!

Outlook: Shatner should have a good idea of NCLB’s game plan, as in Star Trek IV he spearheaded the No Whales Left Behind initiative.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Seed: 16

Overview: The Bush Administration’s brilliant education plan has edged its way into the tournament this year by doing what it does best, threatening to kill anyone who doesn’t perform.

Pros: Everyone knows how to take standardized tests; Flashy packaging.

Cons: You got a few minutes?

Outlook: It doesn’t look good for NCLB as apparently punishing people for doing their job doesn’t make them perform any better.

First Round: Robots (8) vs. Donda West (9)

2008-03-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

ROBOTS

Seed: 8

Overview: Robots have come a long way. There was a time when they were only in the movies. They now help us with a number of tasks. (I don't trust them though.)

Pros: Are said to work harder, better, faster, and stronger than their human counterparts. As far as I can tell they don't die.

Cons: It has been said that they are dead inside. They don't look as cool as you might imagine (see picture.)

Outlook: The future is bright for robots. If Terminator is to be trusted they should be a heavy contender for this title by 2011. For the moment they will try and pick up some much needed tournament experience and a win over the lifeless Donda West before meeting an all-out juggernaut in The Dude.

DONDA WEST

Seed: 9

Overview: Donda West is the former chair of the English department at Chicago State University. When her son hit it big as a rapper/producer she quit her job and Kanye started buying her stuff. Then she wrote a book. Then she up and died and her son made everybody cry at the Grammys for a few minutes before they went back to bitching about how conceited he is.

Pros: Good grammar. According to sources, she never put no man over her son. Known to inspire xylophone-driven music that sounds vaguely reminiscent of "The Boxer."

Cons: Dead.

Outlook: Donda has an upbeat attitude and a great son, but it may not be enough for her to overcome the fact that she is not alive.

INTERLUDE: Important News!

2008-03-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

So Pitchfork Music Festival is back, and I also love Paul and Krissy for getting married on the 13th of July, hence not interfering with my plans to see Public Enemy, Animal Collective, !!!, M. Ward, Dizzee Rascal, and many MANY more the next weekend.

Back to the voting...

First Round: Masturbation vs. Dora the Explorer

2008-03-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

MASTURBATION

Seed: 1

Overview: If you don’t know, you better acks somebody

Pros: Easily the most fun way to lose your eyesight.

Cons: The simple fact that Masturbation received a low seed count (1) may prove problematic for the age old practice.

Outlook: Masturbation seems to have found a way to deal with Dora’s most stalwart defender and steals leader by yelling “SWIPER NO SWIPING!” However, many have looked for Masturbation to be upset in the tournament ever since Onan was struck dead for spilling.

DORA THE EXPLORER

Seed: 16

Overview: Having exploded onto the scene in 2000 with her child friendly Spanglish programming, Dora has been credited as the reason why our children can now speak two languages poorly.

Pros: She’s a cheap babysitter

Cons: Being paired against Masturbation, most of Dora’s fan base will not be allowed to attend the event to show their support for the underdog due to the presence of no no special spots.

Outlook: Having lost Diego to his own spinoff means Dora likely won’t have a proper big man in the low post.

The Dude vs. Babar

2008-03-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

THE DUDE

Seed: 1

Overview: The Dude is Jeffrey Lebowski, a middle-aged underachiever from Orange County. His life consisted mainly of bowling and dodging his rent until one day a couple thugs busted in his house and took a piss on HIS fucking rug. From there he went through a series of hi-jinx eventually leading to pop culture superstardom and a number one seed in this tournament.

Pros: The Dude's easy going attitude makes him a perpetual favorite. He is a good bowler. A dope soundtrack. Sweet friends. He tends to abide.

Cons: Not many. It has been said the Dude is lazy, but a strong work ethic is not necessarily required in this tourney.

Outlook: If the Dude keeps his head in the game he should go far in this tourney. If not he could be in for an early exit. But the beauty about the Dude is he just doesn't care.

BABAR

Seed: 16

Overview: Babar is an elephant who took a trip to Europe or something and came back to teach all the heathen African animals the benefits of Western civilization. I think he was a king.

Pros: He's a fucking elephant.

Cons: Sell-out. Contributed to the destruction of a great civilization. Disputes over pronunciation.

Outlook: It should be a quick exit for the elephant king. Luckily for him he has his bastard colonial government to return to.

BRACKETS ARE HERE!!!

2008-03-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

OKAY...it's time.

This tournament premiered four years ago in the Student Movement. It was a raving success and in the end Robert Goulet was victorious. Now Mr. Mike and P Des J have teamed up to once again bring you the finest in March entertainment.

It has been four long years. Goulet has died. Yet many of the other contenders are back. And many new faces have emerged. Voting begins Monday. The match-ups are as follows:

Curated by Mr. Mike:

SHENANIGANS BRACKET

The Dude (1)
Babar (16)

Robots (8)
Donda West (9)

River Tam (5)
Snuffleupagus (12)

Soulja Boy (4)
Taft (13)

National-Louis University (6)
Gonzaga (11)

Toast (3)
Pitchfork Media (14)

Sunny D (7)
Purple Stuff (10)

Dwight Schrute (2)
A Pekingese (15)

MANDERS BRACKET

My Dad (1)
Miley Cyrus (16)

Autism (8)
Kickball (9)

Tony Rich Project (5)
Pirates (12)

A Wee 3-Year-Old Girl (4)
Linkin Park (13)

Daniel Plainview (6)
Kelis' Milkshake (11)

Obama (3)
A Bear (14)

Anton Chigurh (7)
Llamas (10)

Robert Goulet (2)
Pierogis (15)

Curated by P Des J:

ROBERT GOULET MEMORIAL BRACKET

Masturbation (1)
Dora the Explorer (16)

Ham (8)
Dan O'Brien (9)

The B-52's (5)
Georgia O'Keefe (12)

Judd Apatow (4)
Christmas (13)

Shia Lebouf (6)
Disease (11)

Perverts (3)
Dateline (14)

The 5th Amendment (7)
Bunk Beds (10)

The Wii (2)
Marmaduke (15)

THE BRACKET BRACKET

Shatner (1)
No Child Left Behind (16)

Moustaches (8)
Bell Biv Devoe (9)

Davey and Goliath (5)
A Colonoscopy (12)

Farming (4)
Floyd Mayweather (13)

Tony Toni Tone (6)
The Zoo (11)

World of Warcraft (3)
Noobs (14)

West Side Story (7)
Rugrats (10)

Hopscotch (2)
Facebook (15)

Also...if anyone has a nice idea about how I can put these into bracket form on this blog, let me know. Thanks.

Where am I?

2008-02-27T22:26:00.000-08:00

...mostly staring blankly at all the things I should be doing.

Get ready...brackets are coming.

Oh yes...brackets are coming.

This One is a Downer.

2008-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

Susanna asked for an update. And since she may just be the only one reading my blog...here it is. Happy Birthday.

Unfortunately I don't have happy things to talk about today. (Yet...I will post something nicer later...perhaps about Jay-Z!)

This is a very sad day for Northern Illinois and I'm sure it also is a sad day at places like Virginia Tech and Columbine as each new incident sparks the old memories.

I'm sure in the coming days and weeks and months much will be made of the shooter and his motives and the warning signs and all of this. In the meantime I would prefer not to break down what his motives may have been. I'm more concerned with another issue. The Chicago Police Department reported 443 murders in 2007. 44 percent of these are
believed to be gang-related. While 443 sounds like an alarming number, it was actually a cause for celebration as this was the lowest murder total in over forty years in the city of Chicago. And what I am concerned about is who decides that these hundreds of murders, just as senseless as the school shootings, are of less importance. Why do our favorite television shows not break away every time somebody is killed in a gang war? Or over a domestic dispute? Or in a robbery attempt?

Education can surely play a role in reversing this trend (which, I suppose you could
argue, is already being reversed with the tally down to a mere 443 killings.) Most crime (but not usually the crime that gets the big news coverage) springs from a feeling of hopelessness. If we had better systems in place to alleviate this despair perhaps we could see more progress. And the best way to do this is through an improved education system.

But of course there are roadblocks...

ANYWAY...perhaps this is an inappropriate time to address this subject. I certainly don't mean to minimize the tragedy at Northern but it's just something that crosses my mind whenever a story like this one steals the headlines.

On a brighter note...Jay-Z, the United Center, April 26.

Random stuff...

2008-02-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of sad that season two of The Boondocks is coming to a close. For one thing, there is hardly anything on tv right now. For another, this show has gotten better and better every week. Season one was great, but this season set it off to another level. Here is the season finale. It's a good representation of the hypermasculinity that pervades mainstream (and even underground) rap, and the underlying homoeroticism it attempts to conceal. And it's really funny. Enjoy.

There are just a ton of great shows coming to Chicago this spring. I've been trying to make a concert calendar along the side of this blog but I am having a tough time coming up with a convenient way to do so. Between that and figuring out how I'm going to afford all the shows I hope to attend I have a lot on my mind. But one that I'm sure I'll be at is the New Pornographers/Okkervil River show on April 20. Yes, I've seen the New Pornos several times, but I've never seen Okkervil River and it is time. And I always have room in my heart for another New Pornographers show so that is that.

And...coming soon...The Glow in the Dark tour...featuring Kanye West, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., and Lupe Fiasco.

For now...check out the Bonnaroo lineup.

HAHA...

2008-02-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

What a great Super Bowl. 16-0 doesn't mean anything when you lose the Super Bowl.

Now that football is done we move into that part of the year where you really start to feel the winter. Yes, it's only ten days till pitcher and catchers report, but as exciting as that is it always turns out to be a bit antic-climactic once it sets in that Opening Day is still a month and a half away at that point. So in the meantime...here is a great concert from Iron and Wine and to help melt your cold hearts. It's from a website called FabChannel that has a whole bunch of these videos. I'm going to check out the De La show next.

Also, I think I'm going to try to make it to the Iron and Wine/Califone show in Kalamazoo in April.

The Vampire Weekend experience...

2008-02-03T00:10:00.000-08:00

So my current financial woes have kept me from buying too many albums this year. Before tonight the only 2008 album I purchased was Magnetic Fields. But tonight I scrounged around in my sock drawer and under the seats of my car and found enough change to go buy me a new album...

But what to buy? My first choice was Black Mountain. They didn't have it. So I was stuck with this decision...Vampire Weekend or Drive-by Truckers? And this presented me with a philosophical dilemma. Vampire Weekend is the new, hip thing. Drive-by Truckers are an older, kick-ass band. I had listened to two or three Vampire Weekend songs previously and they didn't blow me away...but they sounded like songs I could grow to really enjoy. Still, my inclination is to go with the Drive-by Truckers because they are a band I've previously bought albums by and REALLY like them.

So why would I possibly buy the Vampire Weekend album? Because if I were to choose the Drive-by Truckers album it would make me feel old. That sounds kind of silly. It's not like Drive-by Truckers, or most other bands I listen to, are OLD people's music. The problem is this...it seems that more often than not lately, when I go to the store to purchase music, I end up going with an album by an artist I have previously bought music by. Nine of my top ten albums of 2007 were by artists who I had been a fan of before 2007. This isn't really a problem at the moment since all of these artists remain somewhat relevant. My fear is that as I grow older my list will continue to be composed of those same artists and I'll lose touch with what is new.

Of course I'm exaggerating all of this. I actually keep up with new music better than most people I know. Just something to think about. In the end my choice was easier due to the fact that the Vampire Weekend was three dollars cheaper than the Drive-by Truckers album. And on first listen I actually really like it. And eventually I will buy the Truckers album anyway. So what I'm getting at is...I've been rambling about nothing.

Concert Review: Girl Talk and Dan Deacon

2008-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to say a few words about last Saturday's Girl Talk/Dan Deacon show at the Metro and I am just now getting around to it. Sorry. But you know. School and work and laziness and all.

People like to say that Girl Talk isn't very good live. That is because these people are scared of having fun. No, Greg Gillis does not play a guitar or sing or do anything like that. For that matter, I don't think he does a whole lot with the laptop either. Fortunately, I am not one of those people who gets off on watching musicians playing instruments so I am able to enjoy the show anyway.

So the common complaint goes, "I could have just stayed at home and turned the album up really loud." Yes, you could. And the sound would probably be better. But you wouldn't have had a thousand people there all having a party together. That's the fun in it. It's a dance party. If you don't enjoy it for that you aren't going to enjoy it at all.

As for the music...he played a lot of new stuff. Apparently he has a double album's worth of material ready to go for the next release. He seems to have gotten deeper into the chopped-and-screwed sound. Other than that, same old same old. And that's just fine. UGK and Soulja Boy were among the stand outs. And of course lots of Clipse. I also really enjoyed the Grizzly Bear sing-along.

But I must say that this night was owned by Dan Deacon. He set up in the back of the Metro and from the opening sounds of "The Crystal Cat" the whole place started jumping. The highlight was probably when he led the crowd through a complex human tunnel/train routine. That's the best I can describe it. Oh wait...the best part was actually when he closed with a batshit "Wham City."

The only downside of Deacon's set is that I think it may have left the audience a little too beat to keep up the pace for Girl Talk's set. Also, just about every single girl was up on stage during Girl Talk which made for a good stage show but left quite a sausage fest in a crowd that was strangely heavy on Chads and Trixies. But still a great night.

Unfortunately, the ungodly line to get into the Metro prevented me from seeing opening act Lord of the Yum Yums. So it goes.

The funniest thing ever...

2008-01-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Be warned. I came across this in class today and spent ten agonizing minutes trying to control my laughter. No lie. My face turned red and I head to put my head down and I was making squeaky noises. And so was the guy sitting next to me. This is extremely funny.

Happy MLK Day!

2008-01-21T21:25:00.001-08:00

"They said to one another, "Behold. Here cometh the dreamer. Let us slay him and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

Genesis 37:19,20

Honest engine...I planned on throwing a Martin Luther King Day party this year. Unfortunately that would have required more money and time (mostly money) than I had so I aborted that plan and read books. Also...it turned out I worked a couple hours so...you know.

But the idea for a party came into my head when I was watching Talk To Me, the movie where an on-fire Don Cheadle plays legendary DJ Petey Greene. Somehow this film came and went with very little fanfare which I don't understand but that's another story. ANYWAY...there is a portion of the film about King's assassination and a couple thinks struck me about it. The first was how incredibly moved everyone was. Now I realize that this was a movie and everyone shows more emotion in movies than they do in real life, but I'd never considered the idea of so many people being moved to tears. I can't remember the death of any public individual in my lifetime that had this type of an effect on people (aside from maybe Princess Di...but that's England.)

The second thing I REALLY liked. The night after MLK was assassinated James Brown came to Washington on a whim and through a free concert. And the crowd came and they took all their bottled up sadness, confusion, and rage and they threw a motherfuckin' party! And that made me say...YES! Here, in the face of absolute evil, the cold-blooded killing of a man who dedicated his life to peace and love and the furthering of human society, they said laughed, drank, danced, and said "Fuck You" to an evil world. Party till the system dies!

So anyway...I mentioned the books. One of them is I May Not Get There With You by Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson is one of my favorite writers and in this book he attempts to rescue King's image from a society that tries to bottle him up into one short speech. The other is King's autobiography. I have enjoyed both so far. Unfortunately I am not far enough along in either one to comment a whole lot more than that but be on the lookout for more from me.

Anyway...back to class in the morning. Have a nice night everyone...