Chicago: Beef, Love and Understanding

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The Century in Evanston is my favorite theater (not) in Chicago. I especially like the way they have a piano bar off to one side.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:23 (seventeen years ago) link

ha! a smooth, minimal orchestration of sensible pop is not our kevin.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Yesterday was good: Kr and I watched Inside Man (kind of silly but mostly entertaining), did laundry, went grocery shopping, made pizza and soup for dinner, played Scrabble, and then went to Simon's to watch Brighton, MA play a set of mostly covers.

― jaymc, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link

btw, john -- i haven't forgotten about ysi-ing the whole caetano veloso to you. Maybe I'll put it on the blog tonight for all to sample.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:26 (seventeen years ago) link

I liked Inside Man! Because Clive Owen can do no wrong, imo.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh thanks, Kenan. And yeah Clive Owen is always fantastic.

― jaymc, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:27 (seventeen years ago) link

My downloading spree on Saturday resulted in the new albums by Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Sea and Cake, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, and Modest Mouse, and I found the rest of the Field Music album (I acquired every song on that album exclusively through mp3 blogs).

― jaymc, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:30 (seventeen years ago) link

I went to Trader Joe's for the first time yesterday, it was okay. I was kind of shocked at how the employees were these hardcore TJ party-liner's. I was waiting in line for one cashier and another dude came by and was all "hey buddy, I can get you over here" and took my basket (!). Then he was going on about what good bread I had chosen and how he and his bros would stop by the bakery every time they road tripped out to San Diego. The place only opened a few months ago, where do they find these people???

― Jordan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:32 (seventeen years ago) link

ooh... I should get new Sea and Cake. How is it?

(This is where john and i talk about smooth, careful gaywad pop for a moment. Pardon.)

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:33 (seventeen years ago) link

That's one thing that I love about TJ's -- the employees are so friendly and talkative.

New Sea and Cake is good -- it's less glossy/synth-y than the last album, and a couple songs actually kind of rock. But I kind of have low expectations for them these days -- it's still not in the same league as their 90s output.

― jaymc, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:35 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, they get more wallpaper-y all the time

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

I kind of hate it. I get weird when I'm shopping, it's strictly business. Unless you're that cute girl at the furniture store.

― Jordan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

and i still listen to them a lot. and have a poster on my wall.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

My most recent successful download: that Marnie Stern album. Recommended for fans of loud, thumpy, spazzy music.

― n/a, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link

I kind of hate it. I get weird when I'm shopping, it's strictly business.

Recipe for me killing people: 1 middle aged, bored, talkative woman in the grocery checkout line + 1 friendly cashier who is happy to talk to her as much as she likes.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:40 (seventeen years ago) link

I wonder if there's some TJ rule where they have to converse with the customer, because last time I was there the cashier asked the person in front of me about some product, how they liked it, then he did the same thing to me. Maybe he's just naturally curious though.

― n/a, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh! Back to the food thing for a second. I was going to say that I only really know ONE person who harasses me about not eating organic enough, and that's a loony coworker. But mostly, I get harassed for eating too much or not healthily enough by female coworkers. There's this general assumption that because I'm FEMALE I should constantly be dieting and never, ever, ever have anything remotely fun to eat. I'll be eating, say, a lowfat yog and someone will grab it and talk about how many calories I'm consuming. They don't just pick on me though. They scrutinize everyone's lunches.

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:41 (seventeen years ago) link

Recipe for me making myself hated by the entire office: working with Sarah.

― Laurel, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:42 (seventeen years ago) link

I could go for some toasted pumpkin seeds right about now.

― n/a, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:43 (seventeen years ago) link

I went to Wild Oats for the first time in my life last night. Liked the bulk stuff, got good 2-for-1 deals on some things I like. Halfway between the Whole Foods experience and the Dominicks experience.

― Eazy, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Wait, Kevin, did GGH finish up the night last time you were at Trash Bar?? That descrip sounds like them, but I have to admit I dug it.

no, that was the baby shakes. who you will also see in 3 weeks. and ggh is playing one of the day shows i think but i don't know. i may skip the friday day show to do some record shopping and/or recovery from thursday.

― chicago kevin, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:43 (seventeen years ago) link

SO EXCITED GUYS.

― Laurel, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:44 (seventeen years ago) link

haha

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Where is Wild Oats? I have never seen it.

― n/a, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:45 (seventeen years ago) link

There's this general assumption that because I'm FEMALE I should constantly be dieting and never, ever, ever have anything remotely fun to eat.

There's that extreme, and then there's the woman in my office who apparently lives for her next piece of candy. Of course, only to later bitch about how fat she's getting.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link

baby shakes are not from japan and don't do the same schtick as ggh. they are likewise female and fun but i could have more fun with the baby shakes 7"s than i could at another ggh show.

i want doughnuts for lunch today.

― chicago kevin, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link

It's up in Evanston, on Chicago along the Red Line. I'd seen it a million times but never gone in. I have a feeling they were kind of pre-Whole Foods and got trumped.

― Eazy, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link

She comes in just about every single day and starts talking about chocolate. "I think we need some chocolate. Hey should I go get some chocolate, guys? It's chocolate time." And worst of all, "Why aren't you guys eating more chocolate?" She is truly a chocoholic, hopelessly addicted and needing eating buddies to validate her habit. And the chocolate is always, always nasty grade-z milk chococrap that is FOR CHILDREN ONLY.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes, wasn't sure about the "from Japan" part but I remembered one or more of the members as being Asian -- then again, I was v drunk. Anyway, thanks for encyclopedic knowledge of rock'n'roll bits and bobs.

― Laurel, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link

xxpost

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link

I am eating donuts right now. We get free donuts on the first Monday of the month here (ie to impress the new hires).

― Jordan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:51 (seventeen years ago) link

This is the same woman that insists that we all sing Happy Birthday to the cranky-ass IT guy. Like, oh great idea. He's going to really enjoy that.

I have less tolerance for the young-at-heart than I do the young, even.

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:52 (seventeen years ago) link

I feel bad suddenly. Sarah works with truly awful people, and I work with perfectly nice people who bug the shit out of me because I'M the asshole, not them. :(

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:55 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm going to call my autobiography "Ill Advised Tacos."

I love smooth, careful gaywad pop.

I used to live a half block away from a Wild Oats Vegetarian Market when I lived in Boulder, CO. I love that place. Which red line stop is closest to the Wild Oats of which you speak, Eric?

― Jenny, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:55 (seventeen years ago) link

ez, i think wild oats just got bought out by the whole foods giant.

― robotsinlove, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:55 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, it did.

― n/a, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:56 (seventeen years ago) link

OH WELL

― Jenny, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Hi, Jenny. How was Saturday??

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Nothing to do with anything, buuutttt... I listened to Girl Talk on my ipod yesterday at the gym and am now declaring it the ultimate in gym music-listening. There were only about 5 minutes at the end of my workout though that I hated it because it was making me pump those legs, pump those legs, pump those pump those pump those legs when I should have been cooling down. I was too preoccupied to find something else to cool down to and too stubborn to go against the grain of the beats.

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Which red line stop is closest to the Wild Oats of which you speak, Eric?

It's the Red Line stop that is not the Red Line now that I think about it but the Dempster stop on the Purple Line.

― Eazy, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, I wished there was a little whisper telling me where each sample came from. I got almost all of them, but there were a couple that came in and out too quickly for me to identify.

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

My latest gym soundtrack is Man or Astro-man?'s Project Infinity. Makes me feel like I could run the treadmill right through the wall, it does.

― dan m, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Last week I was just finishing my time on the elliptical and this Chappelle's Show episode came on where it was only music. I was totally transfixed and had to keep going for another 20 min to catch all the ?uestlove/Badu/Outkast/etc. clips.

― Jordan, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Interesting...

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:09 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost

― KitCat, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Jesse took a picture of my crotch.

n/a on Monday, 5 March 2007 15:29 (1 hour ago)

I was taking a picture of the lights in the floor and Nick walked his crotch into it. I said, "Hey Nick, your crotch is in my picture." He did not move, so I took the picture, which he deemed "pretty nice."

― Jesse, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Jordan-- what you are saying about TJs is how I feel about the Argo Tea people. Probably a lot of their excessive enthusiasm can be accounted for by their age, but still, they love tea a little too much, and when there is a trainee they introduce that person to their regulars, including stats and interesting factoids about the regular. Also, one guy was describing their walnut cookie-candy things as, "A surprise wrapped in a surpise, covered in chocolate, wrapped in a pretty package!" in a Pollyanna-ish voice that made me want to do something mean and petty to him.

― Jesse, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:17 (seventeen years ago) link

in a Pollyanna-ish voice that made me want to do something mean and petty to him

haha Like steal his Strawberry Shortcake doll?

― kenan, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:20 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I guess the part that bothers me the most about the chattiness is that it seems like it must be institutionally mandated. It's Chotchkee's-esque.

― Jordan, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Saturday started out scary because I got to the hall first and they said they had no idea what i was talking about w/r/t to the conference with an expected attendance of 120 people. I started to FLIP THE FUCK OUT but then one of our main organizers showed up and sweet talked the guy that I had pretty much managed to alienate and we got the room that we always get. Then none of our morning speakers showed because it was snowy and blowy and social progressives be FLAKY. But it was okay because three of us conference organizers were scheduled to speak so I went a little longer on my opener, and then another organizer spoke about women and the war, and we had a woman from a feminist disability action group who had a lot to say and she was really engaging and she took up a lot of time. And then because the speaker from Apn@ Gh@r didn't show, my friend (who also works for AG) spoke in her place.

Basically, it was one big exercise in rolling with it and not looking panicked in front of a room full of people just because you have no idea which speaker to introduce next.

By the afternoon everything had sorted itself out and we had lots of interesting and engaging speakers and some women from the PRCC almost got into a battle with an old white lady from the League of Women Voters which I, as MC, found hilarious but managed to diffuse with the help of the aforementioned main organizer who is obviously highly skilled it diffusing situations created by her hothead companeras.

Then I drank some TERRIBLE wine that we bought from a convenience store somewhere on Ashland. The wine was displayed on a shelf in between, and I am not kidding here, dusty bottles of hard liquor and cleaning products. I think its placement was editorial.

― Jenny, Monday, 5 March 2007 17:27 (seventeen years ago) link

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