Chicago: More Bars in More Places

xpost I upgraded my OS a couple years ago, from Jaguar to Panther, but that's still a few years old, it looks like.

MCA is free for the next month, so little risk involved.

There's a full afternoon of bands playing at the MCA this...Sunday?

Also, do you guys know about the free day of music at Symphony Center next weekend, with Brandford Marsalis with the CSO during the day and Tortise playing along with a silent movie at night?

That Dirty Projectors album is ... interesting

It's a cool concept, but I assume he's not even trying to replicate the music in anyway, just some of the lyrics?

I would like to reinterpret a Metallica album in this fashion.

I meant before committing to the lecture.

Oh, I hope you do it; that's be something.

Yeah, it sounds fun and you'd do a good job. DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN! THEY ARE OUR FUTURE! TEACH THEM NOW AND LET THEM LEAD THE WAY!

That exhibit was pretty fun AND we got free mini cupcakes, but the Tropicalia exhibit was the WIN.

The exhibit is interesting but it mainly seems focused on artists or collectives that straddle the boundaries between rock and roll and "art," so lots of Throbbing Gristle, Destroy All Monsters, Andy Warhol-type stuff, plus some rock musicians who also are visual artists, like dude from Black Dice. Not so much famous album covers or rock iconography. Pretty interesting, but I wish there had been more actual music somehow, because the connection to the music wasn't always clear with only the visual aspect presented. Also I think maybe they were trying to take too wide of a view, could have been more focused on a certain era or style. Still fun though.

could have been more focused on a certain era or style

like the Tropicalia exhibit, exactly

ooh... tropicalia! That could be educational for me. I only know Caetano Veloso and stuff off of that Soul Jazz comp from a year or so ago (which is ace).

Sorry, the tropicalia exhibit was like a year ago.

I will have to reread some parts of Simon Reynolds's post-punk book.

Re: focus: next to that Rita Ackerman piece I am standing in front of in the WDYLL pics, there's this description of her and her work, and then it's like "she also did some art for this Royal Trux album" and that seems to be it as far as her connection to rock and roll? I mean, I guess her style is kinda rock and roll but the connection could have been made more explicit. I felt that way about the whole thread of the exhibit: the connections and the relevance were not always clear.

and it's free??? fuck, I'll go today. maybe.

i went to the tropicalia exhibit.

Ooh, I'm getting a new computer at work! It's about damn time.

hay john did u get my email last week?

Katie, I'm using your idea for the flier. Thanks.

Yeah, deej, sorry I didn't respond, I've just been v. busy lately. But there's also not much I can do now. :/

I'm going through docs from an old case--there is a whole file called "Dog and Pony Show."

Apparently our client (plaintiff) used that term to describe a meeting he was holding and was terminated for unproffesional conduct. It was a big fat investment firm.

We won.

There are clipping from newspapers, magazines, and the dictionary showing "dog and pony show" in use.

copied in triplicate, then typed out, then handwritten on post-its, which we then ran through a mimeograph.

john, the distance of your place to the phone company's "network location" also has an effect on the speed.

Wow, thats about the most insane reason for a firing I've ever heard.

I did not know that, Kevin. Even more reason, I suppose, to stick with DSL and see how it fares in the new place.

Jesse: do you want to have tea?

me: tea?
i want beer.

Jesse: instead of beer

me: no
what a weird question

Jesse: fuck you jenny

I just have to check and make sure there's a working jack in the room where I've set up the computer.

Then I wrote
FUCK YOU JENNY B**GESS!

al stilo de Katie.

JENNY BOOGESS

Wow. My former boss just resigned from his position. This in itself isn't that weird, but the catch is that he's accepted a position with the organization that is taking over publishing all the journals I work on.

I already hit him up for a job :D

JENNY BOOGIES

Irony (OR IS IT???): in sixth grade people sometimes called me "Jenny Birdchest."

Oh. I think that using that term was (according to the defendant) the last straw. If I'm not mistaken, it came out that, finance being the cutthroat world that it apparently is, there was a lot of jealousy and backbiting, and they were just looking for an excuse.

Anyway, that sub-file amuses me greatly.

john:

I think Julia just underwent a Comcast nightmare, so she might have some input.

am still undergoing. got sick of complaining about it.

i had at&t dsl at my old place and have comcast cable at my current place. at&t is a horrible evil company and i loathe them, but i'd choose them over comcast. i remember calling their cust service a few times about internet and it wasn't a big deal. comcast customer service is a crazy crazy level of living hell which has made me cry more times than i can count. i've probably had a much worse comcast experience than most, but still, everyone who deals with comcast hates them and has stories of inconvenience and headache. stay away.

Dan, would that mean working in the UK?

Fuck Comcast right in their asses. Worst company I have ever dealt with in my life, unfortunately I'm going to have to stick with them when we move. Not happy about that.

dan, am i to understand that ALL the journals will be taken over?

No, unfortunately he's going to their office in DC. But they are headquartered in merrye olde Englande (Bristol).

And, no, it's just the @meric@n @stronomic@l Society journals. All the others are still here (for now -- I don't have a lot of faith in current management).

I'd still consider going to DC, though, my sister lives there.

huh. Not to get into this again, because I have ranted at length in the past, but while Comcast was shitty, AT&T was a lot worse. Think, butt-headed, unforgivable rudeness vs. assault and battery.

Hey AREN'T COMCAST AND AT&T THE SAME COMPANY?!?!?!

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/press/steven-colbert-explains-the-cingular-att-deal-229321.php

The same company since 2002?

Aw, video no longer availble.

PS "This video is no longer available."

I have used AT&T/SBC/Ameritech for the entire time I've been in Chicago and have never had a single problem with them.

I mean, I don't doubt that others have had bad experiences, but I'm not going to let that stand in the way of my continuing patronage.

also: near-monopoly

Haha, yeah.