Chicago MMXII

I try to stay away from things of note, but we can arrange something if you like?

jaymc -- i was thinking that we could meet for a happy hour type thing nearish where ppl work and then if anyone is interested, i would like to see this at the whistler, but i know it's out of the way for most people and i am willing to abandon ship on that plan as this ensemble plays every tuesday through the end of june.
http://whistlerchicago.tumblr.com/search/bootstrap

Pretty much everywhere should be convenient. I'm going to be staying downtown in a loop-ish direction, but that is my wandering around day so I should be able to get most places.

Yo tomorrow is bourbon county stout night at Paddy Longs. Someone needs to come split a bottle of bramble rye with me.

i don't know what most of those words are but i might be down

We have to get more than one other person in on that, because two people, one bottle? That's a lot of whiskey, dude.

it's beer, not whiskey

sun times doing some awesome fear-trolling lately: http://www.suntimes.com/12550813-417/your-laptop-could-come-under-attack-at-nato-experts-warn.html

it's a stout, not a whiskey

courtney's family is in town this weekend and they really want to go back to paddy long's, so maybe that can be an Event

xp - if the NATO summit doesn't kill my co-worker, I will... He can't get it through his head that the street closures and heightened security are not all specifically put in place only to counter protesters.

What a fucking useless piece. I especially like this warning "Security experts say your laptop and smartphone may be targeted by attackers or borrowed by free-loaders."

Those non-contributing bastards.

Where is Jesus when we need him, to throw the religious scholars out of the temple, because it really belongs to the money-changers?

Can we all agree to meet somewhere in the middle wrt expecations for the NATO summit? My office, located pretty close to a lot of the shit, has ignored announcements that the entire rest of our building will be closed Friday-Monday and insisting that "eh, it's going to be nothing, a lot of hoo-hah over just another day". But I'm also not down with the "ZOMG YOU WILL BE ATTACKED, MURDERED, KILLED, AND HAVE YOUR WI-FI STOLEN IF YOU BREATHE" crowd either.

I just want pictures.

Yes, it is a beer. Anyway, I'll be there around 5 pm tomorrow, assuming I'm not hung over from tonight. Event starts at 7 pm.

It sounds like Dan and Rachel bought so much beer for tonight that maybe we should be each other's "stop drinking" buddies. We don't need a designated driver, but I have to actually do work tomorrow.

i saw multiple helicopters, 20-30 homeland security SUVs, a bank boarding up its marble lion murals, and absolutely zero sign of any protests. i thought i'd be able to get a pic of one of the helicopters from my office window but it turns out the angle is wrong so there's a building in between.

anyways we're "working from home" tomorrow and on monday. my boss has the day off tomorrow and basically said she doesn't expect us to be productive at all.

I'm off work Monday, but I'll be in the melee, if only as an impartial observer.

Wish me luck not getting arrested for taking pictures of cops. Which btw is technically still illegal, for reasons that are so unconstitutional it makes me grit my teeth.

There has been a pretty impressive fleet of identical black sedans and SUVs parked in the lot south of McCormick place since earlier this week. Probably at least 300 of them. I couldn't tell what kind of plates they had, if any.

Can we all agree to meet somewhere in the middle wrt expecations for the NATO summit? My office, located pretty close to a lot of the shit, has ignored announcements that the entire rest of our building will be closed Friday-Monday and insisting that "eh, it's going to be nothing, a lot of hoo-hah over just another day". But I'm also not down with the "ZOMG YOU WILL BE ATTACKED, MURDERED, KILLED, AND HAVE YOUR WI-FI STOLEN IF YOU BREATHE" crowd either.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, May 17, 2012 7:00 PM (49 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My employer is taking the "We will not be cowed by terrorist protesters! We will carry on!" attitude. I will also bet big money most bigwigs stay home. Also a certain person who signs drivers' licenses closed his agency in Friday and Monday, but considering he rolls w/ body guards when he runs down to Taco Bell for lunch, I think he's paranoid.

Is *photographing* cops illegal? I was pretty sure that videotaping them was illegal due to the antiquated eavesdropping law that says you can't record audio w/out permission, which is what you're doing w/ a video camera.

I drove through the Loop and Financial District and it was thick w/ city, state, and federal police SUVs.

The photo/video thing is that favorite of law enforcement -- a grey area big enough that they can kick your ass and intimidate others from participating, but don't have to do the paperwork needed to actually arrest you. You just get held for hours and then "charges" are dropped. Because there aren't any. But you can bet you won't be taking pictures again.

I think I'm getting more cynical by the second over here. Been listening to Billy Bragg and assorted other union/protest songs all day.

I know EZ is a TED fan, and so: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/17/ted-talks-refuses-to-publish-income-inequality-speech/

a grey area big enough that they can kick your ass and intimidate others from participating

OTMFM. But there is this:

http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2012/04/30/chicago-wont-enforce-law-against-recording-and-photographing-police-during-nato-summit/afa9xoh/

They "do not intend to enforce" the law, but yes, there is a law, and yes, it does include photographing officers in the line of duty. Which is pretty much anytime they decide that they are in the line of duty.

But I take it as a good sign if they are releasing a statement saying they have no intention of arresting people for taking photos and videos, because (hopefully) it means they have decided (temporarily) against the usual policy of arresting people for "trespassing" and/or kicking anyone's ass for no reason. Word had come down that this is very bad PR for the city.

Its a big week for bad PR in Chicago. I'm finding it incredibly amusing to watch Tom Ricketts scrambling to distance himself from his Romney supporting family so he can ask the Democrat goverment for more $$$ for Wrigley.

the nerve of those fucking assholes, burn the stadium to the ground

Kr and I are potentially interested in Paddy Long's tonight. How long do you think you'll be there, Jeff?

I'm on the fence right now. Hung over. :(

But if I do it won't be much past 8.

Courtney and I and her brother and sister in law may or may not be going to Paddy Longs. Jeff we need you to be there bc you are the glue that holds us together. I am also hung over so it's fine.

There's a beer event there tonight so it's going to be crazypacked - Paddy Long's may not be the place to go if you're not going there for the beer event.

I was going to say, I'm up just getting a beer somewhere before I have to meet up with my wife for a wine tasting thing, but I'd rather not be in a crazy packed beer event.

Oh I thought the point was the beer event.

Yes me too. Or something.

Well, yes, I think that is the point for J3ff going there, I think carl was just warning other interested parties that it wasn't just a normal, stop for a beer type of thing.

yeah i was interested until i saw how big of a deal it's going to be. i was thinking about going to bad apple after work to sit outside and drink and read a book, if anyone cares to join me. or if everyone's going to paddy longs, i'll just go there. just not sure if it's my kind of deal.

also not crazy about paddy long's BACONBACONBACON theme

kind of want to go and be a super-snooty vegetarian

I'm actually leaving work early today (like around 5), but I might want to go home before I go out. Bad Apple could be appealing, too.

I am warning Courtney's family, mostly because I can't imagine going there to get a beer unless I specifically and really, really desperately wanted one of the beers they are tapping.

Or, what jvc said.

Like, the event starts at 7 and he was planning to get there at 5. That's him by himself.

I'm still sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so I'm not going anywhere but meeting n/a at the Bad Apple sounds very appealing. A-PEEL-ING.

APPLE-ING

I'm kind of afraid I have an antibiotic-resistant ear infection and my head is going to rot away from the inside out. I'm about 45% kidding.

You've been reading the horror poll countdown too long, haven't you?

There haven't even been any plague movies in the results yet!!!

I just meant wrt the terrible puns, but I guess that too!

Oh hahaha then yes, Eric H. was a direct influence on that pun, definitely.

ok well then i'll definitely be at bad apple from 5:30 for a couple of hours, probably sitting outside