Chicago MMXII

I usually pick up on that stuff but I didn't notice, which either speaks to me being very engrossed in the story or reading it clandestinely on my phone at work.

Who can tell me about Fitzgerald's and whether I should go see the Waco Bros there on July 3?

http://fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/AmericanMusicFestival.html

don't know anything about fitzgerald's but it's going to be a little bit of a hike out to berwyn, especially without a car

I wouldn't bother, but that's just me.

carl, is there any advantage for you or your organization if people buy pizza instead of making a cash donation? I am going to ask around the office and it would be much simpler to solicit plain old cash since no one here lives anywhere near Southport.

that club's site says it is a short walk from the Blue Line, but yeah I will probably just go see the White Sox.

Well I'll be damned. It's only 1/2 mile from the Blue line. I never knew where the city of Berwyn was. I thought it was way out past Joliet or something.

No, there's no advantage of pizza over cash. I posted about the pizza because I knew some of you were Homemade Pizza Company fans and lived nearish to that location and it seemed like an easy way to meet some of my fundraising obligations.

If any of you want to donate cash instead, email me and I will give you the information.

I do need to do some kind of a fundraiser (I have a $500 give/get fundraising commitment every year) but I'm reluctant to do another "Come over and give me your money!" event since that kind of thing gets old pretty quickly. I need some kind of angle on this one. Like, sponsor me in a hardboiled egg eating contest or something. Maybe I'll organize a Malort Mile.

One of my colleagues did an art sale (she drew the uterus pictures that we used for arts and crafts at the last fundraiser) with a pledge/reward structure, but I can't think of anything I could make that would entice people to give me money. I'm also kind of handicapping myself by not being on Facebook.

If you organized a Malort Mile I can all but guarantee I could send multiple people your way.

That is, if I understand what a Malort Mile is. If it involves the opportunity to drink Malort for charity, I know some people.

Which is a little depressing but it's their problem, not mine.

haha

It would be structured like a beer mile. Find a quarter mile track and then take a shot, run a lap, take a shot, run a lap, take a shot, run a lap, take a shot, run a lap. One mile, four shots.

I wonder if a liability waiver would hold up under those circumstances... I don't want anybody to sue me because they get Malort poisoning and die.

Hmmm... I think I could do this. Jeff has the local running connections, I have the drunken goofball (no offense everyone) connections. I would need Malort and some kind of first, second, and third place prize items. Do you think people would pay $25 as an entrance fee?

Could I get t-shirts donated? People would probably pay extra for a Malort Mile t-shirt.

http://jeppsonsmalort.com/

^^^just launched apparently

I don't even know what thread to put this in, but I'll drop it here because maybe some of you can relate. So I've been working at this new job a couple years now and I like the hours, I like most of the people, and I like the benefits. But it's become really clear over the past 7-8 months that I'm being groomed and steered towards solely focusing on pretty much the exact opposite of the type of projects I want to be working on. High pressure, short timeframes, no design input, just basically going through a lot of redtape to essentially redesign bathrooms. Its just, ugh, I don't know. Super annoying because when I started I was working on a couple really cool, interesting projects that were really fun. But now that those are wrapping up, it's been made clear by a partner and our business development person that they are focused only on lining up more of these crap projects for me.

Anyway, my question is - is it worth sitting down with them and explaining that these aren't what I want to be doing? Is there a productive way to have this discussion? I mean, its to the point where if I picture myself still doing these same types of projects in five years, it makes me feel sick to my stomach. But should I just be happy to have a job? Ugh. It's super frustrating.

First, humans are complex beings and we are capable of just being happy to have a job, and also wanting something better at the jobs we have. So put that aside, IMO.

Second, I think that's a reasonable conversation to have, but the success of it is all going to be in the wording/presentation. Like you have to word it in such a way that you don't sound bitter or unwilling to do the crap projects, because you don't want to be on your boss's radar as a malcontent, but that expresses enthusiastic interest in the kinds of projects you like. And it's reasonable to express that interest and ask something like, "Do you see me being able to do these kinds of projects in the future?"

There are probably some examples of how to do this somewhere on this website, which I love: http://www.askamanager.org/

Also, if the kinds of things you like to do are not in your future at this firm, I think you should look for another job. It's daunting and exhausting but it's easier to find a job when you have one, and you can look very intentionally and deliberately, and you have a really good reason for looking if the new potential employer asks - "I want to work on X kinds of projects, which is what you do here."

I know how defeating and exhausting it feels to be in a job you hate, but you're in a good position to move into something that will make you feel happy and fulfilled, and I think you should pursue that!

Thanks for the response! I'm really not at the point where I really "hate" this job, but I think the more I look towards the future and don't see many options to learn and do new things, I could easily see it turning that way fast - and I want to try and head that off if I can. I would be significanly more fulfilled here if I just had a balance of projects similar to some of my other peers. Totally going to check out that site, too, thanks!

The other part of this I forgot to mention is that these projects are also requiring a lot more out-of-state travel than I was told would be a part of this job. Five years ago I'd be thrilled by this, but these multi-day trips are a little more painful with the little guy around, both in terms of missing him and dumping all of the responsibilities for taking care of him on my wife for multiple days.

framing it as "wanting to learn" is one good talking point i think

Yeah, that's good!

Hey so remember when I asked about putting epub books on an iPad? Whatever format the epub books are in from CPL, you can't just add them to the library or drag them into iTunes. I ended up downloading the Overdrive app for iPad/iPhone, which has a native ereader and getting the books that way. It was kind of annoying because you have to make an Adobe account to use it (why?? Why do I need to make an account with Adobe when I have an account with the library?) and there's a little bit of set up hassle, but I was able to make it go at 9:30 at night after three beers so it couldn't have been that hard.

One perk is that if you use the Overdrive app, you can return an ebook when you're finished reading it instead of having to keep it out for 21 days or however long you checked it out for. Can also listen to audio books through it, which is nice.

The native ereader is fine, too. My only beef is that you have to be connected to the internet to use the dictionary feature (you don't on the Kindle).

Oh, there's no syncing between devices, either, so if you're reading a book on the iPad and want to read it on the phone, you have to find your page.

OK, this ad is making me irrationally angry:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/550541_10100135796833864_543887819_n.jpg

I don't even care about the weird cultural implications, it's the capitalization of "Smart" and the failure to make the syntax parallel that gets me.

Vintage jaymc.

Everything about that ad is terrible.

I saw a guy fall face first into the revolving doors of my building this morning!!! He was carrying two cups of McDonald's coffee and coffee went everywhere and I was really worried that he was going to get his arm caught in the door and the dummies trying to exit the building wouldn't notice and his arm would get ripped off. But that didn't happen. He just spilled his coffee and whacked his face.

I hate seeing people fall.

Geez. Did anyone stop to ask him if he was ok?

I did. I believe my helpful comment was, "Holy shit! Are you okay?" then I helped him pick up the coffee cups/lids. He said he was okay but would probably have a black eye and was pissed he had to go back to McDonalds for more coffee.

He works in the building so I'll probably see him again and can check out his shiner.

There's something about me that makes people ask me for directions and fall face first into things right in front me, I guess.

I'm super clumsy and have fallen down like that in public (not drunk!) multiple times.

So I identify with that guy.

Carl has tripped me too, that was the most recent one.

Not you carl, canine carl.

Carl the dog, to clarify. If you fell in front of me I would make sure you were okay. I'm practiced. xp!!!

In other fun carl agatha news, I accidentally bought "Fresh Wave" deodorant instead of unscented and now I aggressively smell like a dude.

Do any dudes want some "Fresh Wave" scented Mitchum? It doesn't smell anything like what you might think a wave, fresh or otherwise, would smell like.

Or ladies, if you like dude deodorant. I ain't judging.

I actually use Mitchum, which is funny only b/c their ad campaign is all MITCHUM MEN DO STEREOTYPICALLY DUDE-LIKE THINGS. But I'm good, thanks. (I use the unscented, too.)

Those ads are awful. I don't always buy Mitchum (any on sale unscented antiperspirant is fine with me), although it does work really well.

hi guys. it's so freezing in my office today.
we're going to wisconsin for "camping" (in a cabin) this weekend. ready for a vacation.

Hey, Michael Shannon has a band playing at Schubas this coming Monday.

Opening for a tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

i want to have a new band. but i don't want to write any songs.

Wall of Voodoo cover band.

I've been obnoxiously productive today.

I would kind of love to be in a cool cover band

yeah. as long as we cover songs with pretty easy guitar parts.