Chicago MMXII

What time are you playing?

Also FYI The Music Box has a midnight showing of Dead Alive tonight.

we're listed for 8:45, i think schubas is pretty good about staying on schedule

yo chicagovians!

my movie (starring someone u might recognize from tv) is playing at just for laughs chicago in june.

http://www.justforlaughschicago.com/justforlaughschicago/stories/story/0,,262043,00.html

i dont think im gonna make it but if you feel like watching funny short movies then there ya go!

cool

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1216/1408154388_b34a66bdcf.jpg

(actual screenshot from my film)

Is your movie better than Battlestar Galactica?

(starring someone u might recognize from tv)

I assume you are referring to J@c0b T13rn3y's celebrated stint on Are You Afraid of the Dark?

yes.

So I'm at the Chase on LaSalle and there's this older man next to me standing at the machine and... grunting and talking to himself in a way that seems somewhat aware and not entirely crazy. He kind of sounds like the vamping section of a James Brown song - "Uh, yeah, hey, uh, what, uh, yeah, hey." So of course, he turns to me and asks me how to use the ATM machine (I know, but it's possible). I step over and show him where to put his card, and how to orient it, and then to pull it right back out. The whole time I'm showing him, he's going "Huh, yeah, hey." Once I finish, he adds, "That's right, I got it, you got it, that's right, oh yeah, thank you, that's right, I got it, you got it" to his rotation. I can't tell if he's talking to me, so I say, "Are you good?" And he says, "I'm good! You're good. You're real good. Hey, that's right. I got it. We got it. Yeah, uh, hey!" I say goodbye and tell him to have a nice day, and he says, "I hope they appreciate you like I do," which was actually kind of nice.

Then I saw a panhandler holding a sign bearing his T-cell count (74). :(

a;dslkfj Jesus Christ that's terrible :(

Way to undo a funny story!!

Carl, I always admire your willingness to type out stories like that. I rarely have that much patience.

I hope that guy is aware that IL has a pretty respectable no-cost HIV meds program and Chicago has very nice no-cost clinics for people with HIV.

He did not seem well in more ways than one.

I walked over the the bird zone behind Montrose harbor after leaving work today, and it was lovely. But on the way back, this creep in a silver sedan pulled over right after the LSD turnoff and offered me a ride. I was like I'm sorry? He said DO YOU WANT A RIDE? And I laughed loudly and said NO, I do not want a ride. Seriously? People actually do this?

Did he offer you some candy?

I was waiting for the Addison bus by our old place and a guy pulled over and offered me a ride and he was really adamant about it. Like, I was relieved when the bus came bc he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Such a sunburn!! Ct. and I had a v. successful trip to the beach where we got a ton of sun (I'm concerned about moobs-shaped tan lines b/c that is the shape of my burn) and drank a beer at a beach bar, and then took a bus with possibly the loudest disturbed man in Chicago. The water was pretty cold, but not too cold to bathe.

I'm excited to peel and develop some color! And also to spend more time at our city's beaches and to do some paddle boarding.

As cruise director, I'm obliged to remind y'all that you are invited to some kind of a f/happy hour thing with mh on Tues June 5. I guess we have to have some kind of discussion about deets, but I am not ready for thinking that far ahead yet. Lots of meetings this week, planning for next year is STRESSING ME OUT! Already!

I feel like barking at anyone who wants me to look beyond the end of this week, tbh.

At the risk of a bark or two, I did get your FB message and I'm 90% sure I'm in for the show. I'll confirm as we get closer.

Ok good! I thought you were ignoring me. (TBH I haven't thought about that at all because it's still May and I just have to make it through the end of May and then I can live again like a normal person.)

No, I'm just horrible about Facebook when it comes to messages, I always forget to check them.

Actually, by ignoring me, you were effectively not talking to me about the future, which is totally a-ok!

See, then, it was all part of the plan!

This town sucks, I'm leaving in an hour.

Just kidding, I will be back next week! Btw, is it just me or does midway actually have better food than o'hare?

Its been a long time since I've flown out of O'Hare, but from what I can remember I would agree. I have to fly out of Midway for work all the time, so I'm growing used to it.

I got to use the priority boarding screening line! Kind of feel bad for the hundreds who had to wait in the regular one.

Btw I couldn't sleep last night and drank all the whiskey in my minibar. Yeeeeah.

Where did you stay?

IDK about food options. At O'Hare I know Chili's and at Midway there is some burger and beer place (Halsted Grill?) near the Southwest concourse.

I have a sunburn that is brighter than the actual sun.

Ohare has the bayless place. Midway will too eventually.

Midway has a Potbelly. Case closed?

Au contraire

I spent several hours in the Irish Pub in Midway right before xmas, and it was actually rather pleasant.

Airports are the best.

I took some time out of my busy weekend to talk to Jeff about how much I hate Potbelly.

o rly?

Airports are horrible! They are only tolerable to pass through.

This Toronto downtown one is kind of cool, though. On an island and free snacks

My feelings about Potbelly are well documented here.

There's some filming going on in the Loop for something called "Boss" (with Kelsey Grammar, the bystander I asked helpfully informed me). Also I saw two people with full-on punk rock Mohawk hairstyles today whilst at lunch.

i don't like potbelly because their veggie sandwiches are heavily mushroom-based but they have a new "mediterranean" sandwich that intrigues me (hummus, artichokes, other veggies)

a) I also like airports. Traveling by air can often be a pain in the ass, but I generally find airports to be pleasant and comfortable places to wait. Pick up a cup of coffee and a newspaper and relax for a while.

b) I'm also intrigued by the Mediterranean sandwich at Potbelly. I don't have a problem with mushrooms, but their veggie sandwich is nothing more than mushrooms and cheese. Kind of boring.

(I mean, I know you can get tomatoes and lettuce and onions and whatnot on it, but still.)

(Also, the last time I flew out of O'Hare, I had a great salad from the Frontera outpost.)

Airports are probably fine but I associate them so firmly with stress/frustration/physical discomfort/flying somewhere I don't want to go, that I hate them by proxy.

otm

if i wasn't actually going anywhere it would probably be fun to sit around an airport and people-watch

I like going places and airports are a necessary part of that. I usually don't have too much trouble dealing with them. But I get no pleasure from them either.

They are non-places when a third-place atmosphere is sometimes necessary IMO. Need more napping lounges and places conducive to socializing.

I dunno, you load up enough podcasts, pack along an old magazine you're halfway through, crack open a new book, splurge on a New York Times at Hudson News, tear out a Ben Tausig crossword puzzle, get some coffee and a pastry, listen to some music, you don't have anywhere to be but right there, no responsibilities, on a leather chair in a clean environment: that's nice.

I'm mostly talking about hanging out in O'Hare en route to somewhere else. On the return trip, I tend to be tired and just want to be home already. And the wait is usually accompanied by a pleasant anticipation, since I pretty much exclusively fly for my own pleasure -- i.e., never for work or out of familial obligation.

http://www.transitchicago.com/alerts/#aRailAlerts

Red, Brown, and Purple lines are all currently suspended due to a fire or some shit. Yay.

ugh

I know right

guess i'll be taking the bus home

I'm hoping it's all cleared up by 5:30, including residual delays and accompanying nuttiness.