Chicago MMXII

i always wonder about this building when my train passes it on the way home:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=10+e.+lake+chicago&hl=en&ll=41.885753,-87.62735&spn=0.004489,0.005836&sll=41.886073,-87.627375&layer=c&cbp=13,3.08,,0,4.95&cbll=41.885754,-87.627175&gl=us&hnear=10+E+Lake+St,+Chicago,+Illinois+60601&t=m&z=17&iwloc=A&panoid=JMg1ElK0wyCpG1fM2FE9BA
it's so little and dumpy and looks to be closed up but it's right in the middle of the loop, right by clark/lake. so weird.

Per my fake research, it may be a comed substation?

http://iconeon.blogspot.com/2005/05/unknown-loop-streets-6-east-haddock.html

i’ve always been fascinated by that building too! still prefer to think it’s the headquarters of a secret society

well, i'm sure the substation is only a cover for the masonic temple buried underneath it

thank god

It's the entrance to Rahm E's secret underground lair.

It's HQ for all of his shadow organizations.

Rahm's Diabolical Basement sounded weird so they just left it as is

i heard filene’s was also originally going to be called filene’s diabolical basement

Filene's Shit Dungeon was "too much"

"Brand names at basement prices, you pigs."

"You're all worthless and weak; here are some bargains" didn't focus group well so

that building is where the pigeons huddle together in the winter

No, that's the shelter at the Clark and Lake El stop.

I just got into an argument with a coworker who claimed that The Dark Half was a much better movie than The Shining because it is more believable. I normally don't argue about these kinds of things but COME ON.

He then went on to say that he believes there will be a zombie outbreak in our lifetimes because of scientists messing around with viruses. He's very religious and subscribes to an extremely literal Christian eschatology (if you can wring some literal sense out of Revelation, then more power to you, I guess) so he was not just fucking with me. He's told me all about how the world will be naught but concrete with no grass anywhere, and how he's sorry that I won't be in heaven when it happens.

omg did you type that with your thumbs?

(aside from the obvious thing, which is wtf at your cow orker)

Nope. I used the big internet for that one.

FTR I'm more appalled at his opinions on The Dark Half than I am about his Armageddonophilia.

i am appalled at his people skills, not his beliefs necessarily

He's not the first coworker to lament my hellbound status right to my face. I don't even go around squawking about being an atheist or anything. The most I'll say out loud is that I'm not religious (and only then in response to people asking me where I go to church or whether I'll go to bible study with them or something), and I make a real effort to be neutral and respectful if people want to talk about religion at work, but I guess something about me just screams "I AM QUIETLY MOCKING YOUR FAITH."

That's awful!
I have been mocked openly for having a dog instead of kids on more than one occasion though.

As far as wtf are you actually saying this to me stuff goes, that's pretty tame, but still

FTR I'm more appalled at his opinions on The Dark Half than I am about his Armageddonophilia.

― carl agatha, Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:35 AM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm. it's (unfortunately) totally believable that a dude would go crazy and try to kill his family.

huh that came out creepier than i intended. note: i am not planning to kill my family.

What did one of my coworkers say to me the other day... Oh! Out of the clear blue sky, at the water cooler even, she asked me 1) how old I was; 2) whether I had kids (and then went on to say that I look so young because I don't have kids); 3) if I was an attorney; and, most puzzlingly, 4) if I had a business on the side other than my full-time job, not necessarily being an attorney, but doing anything, how much money would I expect to make in a year?

Mocking anyone for their choice to have or not have children is a shitty and judgmental thing to do, IMO.

xp LOL

Well, he clarified that he found The Shining unrealistic because Wendy didn't leave the Overlook as soon as Jack started acting weird, which was not even worth debating, frankly.

Was that a mole? An undercover agent? A turncoat?

A SPY!?

Who, the person asking me? No, it was our SUPERWEIRD security guard. SUPER. WEIRD. Small vignette:

She spends a lot of time in the bathroom (singing hymns) and she was standing in the bathroom talking on the phone, and I was washing my hands and she walked out ahead of me, and then stopped short, turned around and went back into the bathroom saying, "Oh! I forgot to wash my keys!"

Weird.
BTW guys, The Interrupters is up on the Frontline website, and I really recommend watching it -- sad, but real and not too much of a downer if you watch the whole thing.

Oooo should I show my class? We do a violent crimes chapter that might work with this.

Definitely

Clips might be better if you can find them though, it's 2 hrs long.

Or at least stop periodically for comprehension/digestion breaks

I'll watch it and see if I can show half of it.

I'm showing them a 15 min clip of The Staircase on Saturday.

the thing is that the threads wrap up a bit at the end, and you see development with the people whose lives they follow -- if you just show part of it, it won't have the same impact as if you show the whole thing. if they only see part, it will look unfathomably bleak, which is not the message. it's bleak, but not unfathomably.

there are obvious discussion points throughout, and it could lead into a conversation about solutions instead of a conversation about problems

i hope that made sense

It makes sense. I'll watch it and see.

These students enjoyed graphic photos of brutal drug cartel murder scenes so I am not too concerned about their ability to deal with bleakness.

Yup, Interrupters is good.

tonight is the siam rice dinner. i had like 15 people rsvp.
pumped for road trip/mini tour this weekend. i like wandering around college towns/campuses.

lemme know if you need any food/hangout recommendations.

go for it.

oh, well, if you're just walking around i guess you'll end up on state street. i don't go down there much anymore, but B-Side Records is still there. for food there's a million college-y places (more chains than there used to be), but i like Nick's Restaurant (up by the Orpheum) for some real old-school madison vibe. there's always ian's too, and some great places on the capitol square (like Graze - the pro move is to get the soft pretzel, which is cheap and comes with really good cheese and mustards. also the mac & cheese).

my favorite stuff is on the near east side, where we live. the weary traveler is the greatest, and alchemy has really good food + changes out their whole beer list every week.

also sophia's cafe on johnson, they only do dinner thurs & fri but it's awesome (good veggie food too). we're probably going to eat there tomorrow night.

She spends a lot of time in the bathroom (singing hymns) and she was standing in the bathroom talking on the phone, and I was washing my hands and she walked out ahead of me, and then stopped short, turned around and went back into the bathroom saying, "Oh! I forgot to wash my keys!"

IIRC, this is the same lady who washes her bags of Cheetos!

Tonight guess what?

Tonight carl agatha and I are going to see Diamanda Galosh!

thanks.

kind of a longshot but i have an hour to kill between work and this dinner tonight if anyone wants to get a quick beer on the west side of the loop around 5ish.

nick, carl and i might be up for meeting you. let's ask her.

carl?

No can do. I have to be at work until around 6. Sorry, bro!

Darling Nicki - may I call you that? - let's go get liquored up in carl's office.

ok