On A Sea Breeze

2009-01-19T05:34:00.004-10:00

Apple and PodCast Recommendations

In the last six months I have received some great suggestions regarding interesting and engaging (and sometimes useful) Podcasts. The milieu of options for PodCast--and the inherent hit-or-miss nature of the medium--often makes it difficult to locate and stay dedicated to a series that fits one's schedule, travel patterns, etc. Here are a few I have recently become fixated with, ordered from 'must-hear' on down to 'useful, but passable':

1. This American Life: I have been listening to this cast for years, previous to it's second life as a podcast. A consummate stand-by to millions of listeners a week, this unassuming program headed by the ubiquitous Ira Glass is a relevant and stimulating success every week without being elitist or detached. I also highly recommend the Emmy-winning (for it's first and second seasons) Showtime series versions as well.
2. NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!: A radio news quiz taped each week in downtown Chicago at the Chase Auditorium (the same building in which Drew works), is intelligent, fun and addictive, especially at the end of the work week. I rarely let a few days go without listening, and have seen the show live twice. The rotating panel of judges Including Mo Rocca, which you might recognize from the MTV "I Love the 80's" and other series) are all hilarious and the guests are always intriguing and fun. Last time we attended, Drew and I met Dennis Leary, in person, who was on the show promoting his new book.
3. WNYC's RadioLab: This is a binge podcast. RadioLab is the next best thing to This American Life that radio has put out in a long time. Addressing common phenomena--love, zoos, memory, placebo--through the vehicle of science, this fantastic podcast is always stimulating. It places science back where it should be in Everyman's lives, contextualizing and explaining our common experience in a meaningful and relate-able way. If you download none of these, download RadioLab. NOTE: not a multitasking kind of podcast.
4. APM's A Prairie Home Companion's News from Lake Wobegon: Excerpted from Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, these unscripted meditations/stories of Midwestern life always seem to strike a thoughtful chord with quirky humor.
5. The New Yorker Fiction Podcast: For the more literary, The New Yorker produces this podcast about once a month, letting one of it's current Fiction contributors choose a favorite short story from the archives. It is then performed by the current contributor, with a discussion of the work and author following with the Fiction editor of the magazine. Sometimes the discussions are dry, but the selections and performances are like literary truffles: tough to make, but sweet, short and satisfying in that brevity. The performance factor is particularly crucial in most cases; some favorites episodes include "Home for the Holidays" and "The Wood Duck."
5. NPR's Sports with Frank Deford: I hate sports in all of it's incarnations...except when addressed with the wry irony of Frank Deford. These are only a few-minutes humorous reflections on a current sports issue or event, but it is really Deford's literary style and delivery that makes it all the worth-while. Usually you can catch it, if you are a morning NPR listener, during the newscast on Tuesdays, depending on your station, or in it's Podcast form.
7. Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips: In the self-improvement vein, this is one of the best podcasts out there, and now even lives as codex. Clever and useful everyday tips to improve your writing, no matter your field or necessity, this is a podcast for every person. My roommate and I are big fans, actually, and once we were talking about a particular usage at a bus stop, and a fellow traveler interrupted us to say that we should look into this very podcast. He ended up being a high school English teacher and used the podcast with his students.
8. Savage Love Podcast: Sex-columnist Dan Savage persona has always emanated from the page, whether via his weekly column (see The Reader: Chicago for locals) or his many print books. It is no different for the podcast, done weekly in which the forlorn call in to sometimes scathing, sometimes humors, but most often rational and successful advice. Think David Sedaris in sound-bite form responding to relationship (hetero and homosexual) issues.
9. NPR's Live Concerts from All Songs Considered: This cast is on the list because for an active music listener, this is the best bargain on the web. Once or twice a month All Songs Considered, another of NPR progeny, posts entire concerts (usually 2+ hrs) to the podcast, many with extended interviews with the performers at the end. The cast isn't limited, so you can download shows all the way back through early 2007. Some of my favorites include: The Frames, The Black Keys (2x), The Swell Season, Polyphonic Spree, Stars, Spoon, Nickle Creek (#1, if only because they do sensational covers of Spears' "Toxic" and Jackson Five's "I Want You Back"), The Raconteurs, Radiohead, and Of Montreal.
10. Just Vocabulary: Over the summer I became a junkie for this 'cast as I was in the thick of GRE preparation. A daily dose of two vocab words has become more of a staple now, working towards my own personal betterment by trying to increase my vocabulary. Most often the case is you are familiar with the context in which the word would fall, but not the exact meaning itself. Not a podcast for all, but definitely effective and beneficial in small doses.

New Podcasts Recently Recommended
1. The Moth: Often borrowed on This American Life, this podcast features premiere storytellers from across the country, including Garrison Keillor, and this week, comedian Mike Birbiglia.
2. Ted Talks: In video and audio form, this podcast consists of 20-minute interviews from the TED conference, interviewing interesting people from all niches of art, culture and design.
3. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: I have been listening to this general history commentary podcast for a few months, but has yet to pass judgment. Any opinions?

And finally, a humorous video, Apple-related, from our friends at The Onion, thanks to Aja.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

2009-01-18T16:06:00.002-10:00

Inauguration Fun Facts Slide Show

With this hyped inauguration on our heels, I wanted to share this slideshow grandma forwarded me regarding the historiography of the event. Click here: have fun.

2009-01-09T12:41:00.003-10:00

Britt Back in the News

I try to promote my good friend Brittany Petersen's writing and publishing as much as I can. Especially in this economy, any senior is college is essentially f***ed when it comes to employment this spring, particularly when in comes to the humanities, media, and business. I guess in that case, who is safe, huh? Well, all of the Finance and Accounting major will have to starve right along with the artists this year. Is it bad that I feel slighted vindicated with my major choice of study with the knowledge?

In light of all that, Britt has got a new column with North By Northwestern, and you can find her first installment here. It has a little something for all.

2008-12-12T05:57:00.000-10:00

Blog Update

Hello, all.
I have been holed up for the last 2.5 days getting over a cold, so now that I have a little extra strength and time, I have uploaded a series of neglected photos from the last quarter. A heavy course load and graduate school applications strapped me for time, but I should be much more diligent in the coming months. I should have lots of great shots in the next few weeks with the Christmas/New Year holiday, especially considering that I leave for Hawaii this Sunday. I haven't been home in over a year, so I am especially excited to see friends and family. In this post I have listed and linked back to some of the more interesting posts I have put up today since August, which I hope you will enjoy:

Last True Day of Summer
Ben Folds and Missy Higgins @ Congress
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan State
Last Fall at DePaul 08
Mark and Jordan's Wedding
Amadeus at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Ryan and Friends at Brownstones
Halloween '08 at the Dollhouse
Birthday Celebrations for Cinthya
Birthday Celebrations for Drew
First Snowfall at DePaul 08
Holiday Theatre Fun with Drew

2008-12-12T04:38:00.000-10:00

Britt back Blogging

Check out her newest post for PCMag, here.

2008-12-05T07:46:00.003-10:00

Academic Update

After all the stresses, the girl got straight A's again this quarter! Even the French Revolution seemed sparing in the end. Hey, if I can't flout it a little here, where can I?

In other news, it was 7 F this morning when I got to work, but with wind chill it was really -3 F. Stay warm all. Keep those toes tucked in.

12/09/2008 Update: Nearly all of my graduate applications are complete. Of the 12, I have submitted everything to 10 of the schools, with only the immense Cambridge and University of Iowa applications left. Wish me luck gang, the economy doesn't have a lot of room for a History/English double-major right now.

2008-12-01T11:41:00.000-10:00

Holiday Theatre Fun with Drew

For Drew's birthday I got tickets to two fun holiday events we have been wanting to go to for a while. First is "The 12 Grave Errors of Christmas," put on by Emily Schwartz (best new playwright by Chicago Reader) and the Strange Tree Group, a local theatre company we like to support. The pictures below are of some of the trapeze artists at the event, which also included much food and beer, small skits and scenes, live music and a little burlesque at the end. Later that same week we met Denis Leary at a live taping of NPR's "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me," which was extremely fun and exciting. Happy birthday, sweets!

2008-12-01T11:38:00.002-10:00

First Snowfall at DePaul 08

2008-11-28T11:30:00.000-10:00

Birthday Celebrations for Drew

Drew spent the week in Kentucky to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with family. He and Matt drove home today, getting back in the early evening of his birthday. I took him out for some sushi at Oysy in downtown Chicago, thinking that the fish would be a light complement to all of the heavy holiday food. It was a fantastic dinner, and then we trekked to Daley Plaza to see the Chicago Christmas Tree (a composite of hundreds of trees, actually) as enjoy toasted nuts and chocolate covered fruit from the surrounding Christmaskindle market. Topping the list: mulled spiced wine coming in little souvenir cups. It was a perfect, beautiful evening. Happy birthday, sweets!

2008-11-26T04:55:00.003-10:00

Ben Folds NPR Interview

Just a quick tidbit, Folds did a brief interview for Morning Edition with Vince Pearson regarding the new release. Click here for the interview and a "clean" version of You Don't Know Me.

2008-11-24T10:48:00.000-10:00

Birthday Celebrations for Cinthya

The roommates were out and about tonight to celebrate Cinthya's 22nd birthday. First we went to a Planned Parenthood Wine and Cheese fundraiser at some hip warehouse on the northwest side, invited by Aja's aunts who are on the state board. Then, off to Quartino's for a lovely pasta dinner with cocktails and a special birthday desert. It was a wonderfully great time, as you can see from the giggles.

2008-11-18T19:33:00.002-10:00

Words without art...

...that is me; never as artful as I imagine to be.

The be-all and the end-all [is] here
here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
we'ld jump the life to come; Lord [knows]
what fools [we] mortals be, [yet in] this,
above all else: to thine own self [we] be true.

- W. Shakespeare

Speaking of Bill, I recently made a return visit to University of Chicago's Court Theatre for their only Tudor production this season, Radio Macbeth. Their production of Titus Andronicus was one of the most mind-blowing (-fucking) productions I have yet to see, and this production did rally to the tier. There are no psychological trappings akin to Titus, but the sheer actorial skill was incredible. So much of the Chicago theatre scene attempts at being raw and new, and sometimes it seems to have little room for perfected interpretation. While the crew from Macbeth is imported, they most definitely address a standard in its barest elements. More on this later. Now to the studies I just want to be over.

2008-11-14T04:47:00.000-10:00

Messages from Mom

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."
- Mark Twain

2008-11-13T08:50:00.005-10:00

GRE Literature in English Subject Test

The primary consumer in my life is my current project of applying to graduate school, primarily PhD (and MA) programs in British Literature. I am not sure why, but as it inhales the vast majority of any extra time I might have, I seem to post about it very little. Perhaps I might feel better about it and get some responses to similar experiences if I start putting myself out there a bit.

This past summer's sunshine was wasted on working in my windowless and mildly stressful office, interning in a museum basement (mausoleum), but mostly, taking a GRE prep course and studying for the general GRE. After two attempts (and $300) I got within my target-score range. The next project was the GRE Subject Test for English majors; a standardized test arresting development and refusing to reflect and kind or form of study in the field.: 227 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours and 50 minutes.

I am completely finished with my English major coursework, using the rest of this year to complete my second major in History. Needless to say, I am trained to write, not in bubbling. At least half of the test is identification based (passage = author or author = passage). Silly; let me count the ways. No, I won't subject you to that, but some comfort can be gleaned perhaps because, as I understand it, half of graduate programs incorporate the scores wholistically or as a tie-breaker. The other half requests that you don't send it, they don't want to see it and don't care. A.K.A., I still had to take it.

So, last weekend, our first weekend of true bone-cold and lake-effect flurries, I traveled for 2 hours on 3 buses to the University of Chicago to take the exam with roughly 50 other students taking 1 of 9 different subject tests. They were clearly all Uo'Chicago people. Usually in such a situation you don;t have to interact, especially because I arrive with 8 minutes to spare. I had my iPod, passport (Hawaii ID expired and I haven't been home in a year), snacks, my admissions tickets, sweater, everything they suggest. What didn't I have?

A pencil.

An eraser.

Awesome.

So, I ask the tense young modernist poet next to me for a spare, and she offers me two bus a brand new giant eraser. I think a positive karmic explosion erupted from our corner of the room. I still can't grasp how much of a spaz I am capable of being. I don't deserve grad school, I think.

Anyway, I have been reading and studying and memorizing especially for this test since September, and low and behold, ETS complete changes the question formats. Instead of identifications, it was primarily interpretative questions. This meant longer passage but real thinking was involved. Rejoice! Someone stacked the deck in my favor.

Aja came and picked me up from Hyde Park once the ordeal was over. Less Beowulf and Milton than I would have liked, but lots of Skakespeare and Donne. Plus a bonus, Ambrose Bierce's definition of imagination: "a warehouse of facts, with liar and poet in joint ownership." My favourite Donne poem was there, The Relic, as well as Ezra Pounds infamous, "In a Station of the Metro":

The apparition of these wet faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

I feel good now because the truth is not yet on it's way. Scores take 6 weeks, so I am told to expect them by mid-December, along with my prospective schools. Fair-weather-friend, I will keep you posted.

2008-11-13T07:53:00.003-10:00

Justice @ Metro (Chicago)

Justice's new film is being screened near midnight this Friday at the Metro . . . for FREE! I am still undecided about whether to attend the New Year's Eve show they are throwing at the Congress--John's yearly ballroom shindig usually wins over any possible options--but this may change my mind. Apparently the new DVD/CD set has new material and not just DJ sets of their first album. Rumors has it that they proposed a whole new album to the record label, but due to serious deviation, it was rejected. Now wether the new included material is this, or a re-tooling, one can only speculate. Aja and I, along with fellow Justice-follower Mo, will be in attendance without a doubt.

Start Time: Friday, November 14, 2008 at 11:00pm

Location: The Metro

Street: 3730 N Clark St

City/Town: Chicago, IL

For me, nearly more exciting than the film are the precursor DJ sets, particularly that of DJ Bald Eagle; a lot of buzz in the underground scene and floated to the top about him. I stopped by the second half of his set at Lollapalooza this past summer, which was amazing, even in the hot dead buzz of an August afternoon in Chicago. The effect might have been slightly skewed, under idyllic willows and bristling sunshine, but the set was tremendous and a huge crowd and filtered in and pushed to the front by the time he put on his trademark eagle mask. I am excited to see him in his natural element. More info and RSVP via the facebooks.

2008-11-07T08:29:00.006-10:00

Brittany plays Runner on Election Night

High school gal-pal Brittany Petersen, in her senior year at Northwestern's Medill School, was a media runner for ABC down in Grant Park on Election night. She snapped some great shots from her particular vantage point I thought you might be interested in. Here they are.

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle!

The crowd on Election Night, from behind the main press riser.

Britt with the stage on which Obama gave his victory speech about 9 hours after this photo was taken. (Still testing Robin Roberts' mic.)

The main press riser directly facing the stage.

With her ABC News/Obama campaign press passes. One of them said "Network TV," the other said "Floor" which she only had temporarily in order to test out the mics that the ABC correspondents would be using on the night of. The sign around her neck says "Robin Roberts," which is the correspondent whose mic she was about to test out.

That's Jesse Jackson on the phone. He high-fived Brit for being so awake and cheery at 4 am.

A very fuzzy picture of the next first family & the Bidens after the speech.

Press & people circus.

From behind the platforms & main riser, toward the stage.

The Network TV platforms, all lit up.

2008-11-07T08:26:00.003-10:00

Back to the fun, weird news

Now that the elections are over, we can bandy in the more off-the-wall stories severely neglected by the political season.

Jogger runs mile with rabid fox locked on her arm

Thu Nov 6, 1:23 AM EST
Associated Press (AP)

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Authorities in Arizona say a jogger attacked by a rabid fox ran a mile with the animal's jaws clamped on her arm and then drove herself to a hospital. The Yavapai County sheriff's office said the woman told deputies she was on a trail near Prescott on Monday when the fox attacked and bit her foot.

She said she grabbed the fox by the neck when it went for her leg but it bit her arm.

The woman wanted the animal tested for rabies so she ran a mile to her car with the fox still biting her arm, then pried it off and tossed it in her trunk and drove to the Prescott hospital.

The sheriff's office says the fox later bit an animal control officer. He and the woman are both receiving rabies vaccinations.

2008-11-05T17:41:00.010-10:00

Election Night 08': Grant Park Personal Photos

2008-11-05T08:07:00.008-10:00

Obama Rally Reactions

It is difficult again today to get anything really productive done without constantly scouring the internet for responses to last night/this morning. WBEZ posted a few great pieces focused on the rally and it's impact. The transcripts are up, but make sure to play the actual piece while you read if you must. Also, check out this great electoral map with click-able states and facts to watch as they are called throughout today.

Sights and Sounds of Election 08
- Quarter of a Million Fill Grant Park for Obama Victory Rally audio
- Election Night at Grant Park slideshow
- ‘He's Chicago, He's the United States, He's the World’ slideshow
- Reflecting on the Election in Grant Park video
- Beating the Rush out of Grant Park audio
- Hyde Park Celebrates Obama's Win With Breakfast audio

2008-11-05T05:01:00.002-10:00

It happened.

And we were there. It was one of the most beautiful and important things I have ever done.

For more textual results, click here. Look for personal photos from the event later this evening once I get back from night class.

2008-11-04T09:00:00.001-10:00

Election Day Distraction

Once you have voted, then what are you supposed to do? Some recent SNL material to waste away the time before polls close.

2008-11-04T06:20:00.008-10:00

Election Day

After months (years) of talking, discussing, arguing, pondering and--most of all in our mediated world--watching, election day is here. It has been 24 years (says CNN) since a Bush or a Clinton hasn't headed a major party ticket, and it is all going down tonight. My classes were all canceled for the day; perks to being a history major is that all of your professors understand in a painfully clear way the influence of politics and are all politically active. And yet, I have to go to work today, at both of my jobs nonetheless, and am stripped from watching any blow-by-blow coverage. So, I read blogs and write blogs to pacify the excitement.

I have gone a received my free Starbucks coffee for voting (absentee), so apparently the promo was legit. Ben & Jerry's with supposedly be a presence on campus today as well.

Aja (roommate #3) and I both voted absentee, I in Hawai'i and she in New Jersey. Personally, my ballot in the grand scheme of things probably woundn't have carried any wait no matter where I voted; Illinois is Obama-land and Hawai'i, although a relatively conservative blue state is only worth 4 electoral votes in the Electoral College, in comparison to California's 55 some. No matter what the case, the fact that it is my republic, Romanesque duty, the ballot went in.

Cinthya (roommate #2) on the other hand, woke up at 5:30 am to vote at the polling station in the church around the corner, and still she waited more than an hour. We watched the early morning coverage of both the Obamas and Bidens voting in Hyde Park in Chicago and Wilmington, West Virginia, respectively. It was a little surreal to watch. Photographers and cameramen over the decades can't really change the shot set-up when it comes to a presidential candidate casting there vote. There was something erily Kennedy-esque about it, and I am not sure why. Maybe it is simply my over-concerned subconscious kicking in; lets hope not.

All of this is to say, that since my last posting, the darn girl got lucky. I scored one of the 60,000 tickets to the Obama rally tonight in Grant Park, Chicago; good for two. Drew and I are going to brave the masses. In the last three days, every single person under the age of 27 I have talked to is just going down there, whether or not they have a ticket. The bars no doubt will be flooded, and Jumbotrons are supposedly being sprinkled throughout the park areas as we speak. While the park holds comfortable about 75,000--which I can attest to after experiencing the record-breaking numbers this summer for Lollapalooza--I would be shocked if the area doesn't break the million or more mark. The day is absolutely stunning. Last we we had freezing temperatures of 28-32 degrees during the day, and today it is already 67 degrees at 10:30am. The crowds will be out. If you intend on bracing the masses, and I recommend you should (although my Dad already called to tell me he voted and that I shouldn't go, good dad that he is), here are some resources that might be helpful in staying connected, informed and safe:

Obama Rally Guide: Do's and don't's issued by the Democratic Party and City of Chicago, including what you can and cannot bring, tentative schedule and how to get there. It seems mass transit via CTA will be the most reliable, if slow, way to get there.

Obama Rally Travel Guide: Includes maps of the park and set up, as well as travel and transit information; click here for a printable map of the venue.

Obama Rally Prep Photos: And if you simply cannot get enough of the mayhem, a photo gallery has been set up by the Tribune of the set up and crowds beginning to form early this morning. Mostly those Northwestern Medill students who are all involved and shit. Brittany P. got a gig through the Wildcat Medill department to work the event all day and night, then wake up and be a runner for Good Morning America at 3:30am tomorrow.

The general tone of life today is nervous excitement, that atmosphere where nothing and no one can be productive. Truly, the one thing that confuses me most about the election process in the United States, second only to the anachronistic existence of the Electoral College, is the fact that only in 17 states is Election Day a state holiday. In Hawai'i, the very last state to join the union, my parents have never had to go to work on Election Day. Everyone stayed home and drove to there voting precincts; we did always as a family, which usually meant finding a church somewhere deep in a sugar cane field in order to vote. If it is in the national interest, why isn't it a national holiday?

Look for more posts through the day as I remain unproductive at work for want of a television. For want of a better closer:

Be informed. Vote.

2008-10-31T10:26:00.000-10:00

Halloween '08 at the Dollhouse

2008-10-30T10:20:00.000-10:00

Ryan and Friends at Brownstones

2008-10-30T07:05:00.004-10:00

Election Excitement

I applied for tickets as soon as I got the e-mail, but have not heard anything since. I received this email at work (DePaul) this morning:

Dear Colleagues:

Loop-based night classes on Tuesday, Nov. 4 will be dismissed by 8:30 p.m. so that students, faculty and staff can avoid the congestion expected for Sen. Barack Obama's election night rally in Grant Park. All academic and student support departments or functions also will close by 8:30 p.m.

Additionally, we will begin restricting public access to Loop Campus buildings at 7 p.m., after all faculty and students will be inside. The buildings will officially close at 8:30 p.m.

While I realize this may require faculty to alter their class plans that night, early dismissal will allow everyone to leave the Loop Campus safely and swiftly on a night when city officials are expecting that as many as 1 million people may participate in a rally just a few blocks away.

Night classes in Lincoln Park and on the suburban campuses on Tuesday will dismiss at their normal times. I appreciate everyone's cooperation.

Sincerely,

Helmut Epp
Provost

My classes have been cancelled during the day, and I have no Tuesday night class so I remain unaffected. I hope I get lucky with tickets. Come on Ohio, catch up with the Jones'.

2008-10-30T06:46:00.002-10:00

Halloween Videos: For Dad

"Milton the Monster" has a bit of backstory. So, my father has the memory of an elephant. As little kids, every time someone said the phrase, "oops, too much!" he would start singing under his breath the intro music to a childhood cartoon that, by the time my brother and I were born, had long been off the air. This happened every time we cooked. As an adult, in the last few years I have realized that whenever I say or simply hear the phrase, I start mumbling the words to the theme song unconsciously, usually not knowing it until I register the confused looks in my direction while I try to remedy the oops. Now, thanks to the glory that is YouTube, Dad and I were able to locate the intro theme to cartoon of which the song originates, and more astonishing, Dad had remembered the whole thing correctly, work for word without a change over time! So, now I would like to share with you the earworm, the flamboyantly tender, "Milton the Monster" (embedding disabled).

Since it is the ghoulish season, a few more Halloween videos to get you in the spirit: Michael Jackson and John Landis' "Thriller", Vincent Price reading Poe's "The Raven" (below), and Garfield's Halloween Specatcular (below)!

And yet the debate remains: is "Nightmare Before Christmas" a Halloween or Christmas movie?

2008-10-28T10:13:00.000-10:00

Amadeus at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

For my birthday in July, Drew purchased season tickets to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy pier for us. We saw our first play tonight, based on the play/film "Amadeus." It was amazing, especially the character roles and set design. Our actual first Shakespearean play is in January.

2008-10-20T10:09:00.001-10:00

Aja's Coloring Book

Aja and I went to the Dollar Tree arround the corner and ended up picking up a biblical coloring book to send her niece in Germany, whom she will meet in December. After finding this page, she decided perhaps not to send it. It was funny anyway, so she began to color herself.

2008-10-18T09:58:00.001-10:00

Mark and Jordan's Wedding

Sadly I was not nearly as camera-snappy as I had intended here. I didn;t even get a shot of Jordan, Drew, myself or the couple together; just the thoughtful thought of mark in the distance right before the ceremony started. We flew into Kentucky the day before and stayed at Drews' parents new home in Lexington. Actually, only his Dad was home as his mom, ironically, was in Hawaii with college friends and actually had lunch with my parents later in the weekend. A high school friend of Drew, Greg, picked us up the next morning and we drove 2.5 hours into western Kentucky for the ceremony. Drew was the best man, and although the wedding was absolutely dry (no alcohol or dancing) he did just swimmingly. The ceremony and reception were at an historic house with great local food that I got to try for the first time. The day was beautiful and we got to meet a lot of great and really interesting people, many from Drew and Mark's high school as well as people from Mark's philosophy grad program. Later we went back to the bride's house for coffee and Drew gave a wonderful, and emotional, toast. Unconventional but very very enjoyable overall.

2008-10-16T17:56:00.002-10:00

SURVEY: Help me out!!

Hi, all.

I am currently working on a research project for my Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy class and I NEED YOU INPUT!! I am looking for feedback from current undergraduate students about how you write and prewrite for school assignments. I know, I know, dorky as it may seem I would really appreciate you completing the brief survey by following this link:

Click Here to take survey

Thank you for your help and input!!
- Elizabeth

2008-10-13T09:54:00.000-10:00

Last Fall at DePaul 08

2008-10-12T04:33:00.002-10:00

Voting in Hawai'i: an interesting experience

After having watched Colin receive his absentee ballot extremely late a few years ago, very early on I applied for my Absentee Ballot from Hawai'i, and it arrived this past Friday. Voting Absentee really takes away all the allure of going to the polling station and enacting your civic duty; a plus is really getting to enjoy the language and amendments being proposed. There are two items that particularly stand out to me, the first being the number of federal presidential options presented for a state with the lowest representation in the country, worth only 2 votes in the Electoral College.

(C) Baldwin, Chuck for President
Castle Darrell L. for Vice President

(L) Barr, Bob for President
Root, Wayne A. for Vice President

(R) McCain, John for President
Palin, Sarah for Vice President

(G) McKinney, Cynthia for President
Clemente, Rosa for Vice President

(I) Nader, Ralph for President
Gonzalez, Matt for Vice President

(D) Obama, Barack for President
Biden Joe for Vice President

This is the exact order and language in which they appear. Where did they get this ordering from? Is it based on the party? Why does the Republican nominee sit between the Libertarian and Green nominees? I am surprised the Libertarians and Independents could even get on the ticket in Hawai'i. Anyway, these questions undoubtedly will be left unanswered, but the real coal lies in the column headed, "Proposed Amendment by Initiative to the Hawaii County Code," without a doubt the longest issue listed on the entire ballot, whose language is as follows:

Proposal: The proposal would add an article to the Hawai‘i County Code titled and to be known as the “Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance”. The proposed article would direct law enforcement officials of the County of Hawai‘i to treat the “adult personal use” of Cannabis as its lowest law enforcement priority and prohibit the county from accepting or expending funds for the marijuana eradication program and for enforcing potential offenses for the adult personal use of Cannabis. It requires the Hawai‘i County Council to work with the Chief of Police to establish procedures for the acceptance of grievances for those who believe the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority provisions have been violated by local law enforcement and requires that the County Clerk send a letter on an annual basis to federal and state legislators requesting that State and Federal laws pertaining to private and personal adult use of Cannabis be repealed.

Present Provision: The Hawai‘i County Code does not contain laws relating to Cannabis or the priorities of local law enforcement.

Ballot Question 1: Should the Hawai‘i County Code be amended to add a new article that would be titled and known as the “Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance”, which would (1) direct the county to make law enforcement related to Cannabis (marijuana) offenses, when the Cannabis is only intended for adult personal use, their lowest law enforcement priority; (2) define “adult personal use” to include the use of Cannabis on private property only by persons twenty one years of age or older; (3) prevent county law enforcement officials from accepting deputization or commissions from a federal law enforcement agency for purposes of investigating, citing, or arresting citizens or searching or seizing their property if doing so is inconsistent with the lowest law enforcement priority of Cannabis ordinance; (4) prohibit the Hawai‘i County Council from authorizing the acceptance of or issuing funding to be used to investigate, cite, arrest, prosecute, search or seize property from adults when doing so would be inconsistent with the lowest law enforcement priority for Cannabis policy; (5) and direct the County Council not to support the acceptance of any funds for the marijuana eradication program?

Well, just you put that in your pipe and smoke it.

2008-10-11T09:30:00.002-10:00

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan State

Although we lost, this was definitely one of my favorite games. It was a perfect fall day for a football game, plus grandparents and Brittany's mom were in town for the fun. They were a blast to sit with and hang out, and the game was a blast. Plus, the band wasn't so terrible either.

2008-10-10T09:13:00.003-10:00

Ben Folds and Missy Higgins @ Congress

Missy Higgins was great, and actually did a better solo with Folds on "You Don't Know Me." I definitely prefer her piano stuff to the acoustic guitar, however; her vocals are far stronger. Brendan, Drew and I attended the Congress Theatre show, a venue pulling in a lot of stronger acts this year, definitely becoming a more viable rival to the Vic and Riv theatres in town. Best of all is that Folds played not only his new material and some classics, but played nearly everything from his 'leak' album (which he leaked himself so he could give fans some fun for free). The set list is as follows (*leak album):

Way to Normal*
Brainwashed*
Effington
You Don't Know Me (feat. Missy Higgins)
Landed
Annie Waits
Cologne
Lovesick Diagnostician*
Dr. Yang
Hiroshima
Frown Song (synth-playing smilies emerged)
Kylie from Conneticut
Bitch Went Nutz*
Free Coffee
Free Coffee Town*
Zak and Sarah
Bitch Went Nuts

Encore
The Luckiest
Emaline
Boxing
Fair
Kate
Good Morning Son
Rockin' the Suburbs
Not the Same
Frowne Song* (smilies returned)

2008-10-09T07:55:00.002-10:00

And who said the liberal bias in the media was dead...

...they were dead wrong.

2008-10-01T06:51:00.006-10:00

On his Way to Normal

The reviews poured out hastily Wednesday, the day after the fall release of Ben Fold's latest studio solo album, Way to Normal. The reviews have been weak and scant, judging hastily without drawing interesting conclusions, except from fan sites, often more meaty but with acknowledged blinders. Paste magazine continues to pique my interest (as you may have noticed, I have been linking to them more and more of late) by charting the progress of the album. In fact, the have one of the more concrete reviews of the album as of yesterday. The Drowned in Sound review seems to be a bit tangential, but surmises the current temperament of critiques at the moment it seems.

The real indicator of this album will be how these new tunes work live. The album recording of "Free Coffee," complete with the synth and Altoid cans, just doesn't do it for me in comparison with the Bonnaroo video (sad, but true). I suppose our first taste will come tonight as he performs the new duo tune, "You Don't KNow Me," with Regina Spektor on Conan. However, the primal oddity in this "Primal Smirk" phase of Folds' career is the leaking business associated with the album, in that he leaked it himself and had scheduled studio time intentionally lay down the rough tracks (here for the Rolling Stone interview). The marketing campaign, the tour, art and heavy web site updates is uncharacteristically aggressive, but fan sites are eating it up. The trend may be clever than we realize, in which Folds is taking a form-reflecting-content move, using the rock star status and lifestyle he acerbically central on the album and putting it on display resulting in an full-package of performance entertainment.

I know this posting has been a bit link-happy, but a few more for good measure since the fan community is particualrly vibrant this week:
- Official Site: definitely check out the Ben Folds channel, which is straight-up ridiculous.
- Official Fan Site: named for a Monthy Python reference, the fees are minimal if you want a leg-up for tickets. Also, the fan boards are pretty helpful and extensive.
- Fan Site: definitely one of the better sites, kept consistently current, user-friendly and again, strong discussion boards.
- Videos: what would we do without YouTube. The "Tiny Dancer" video is great for Elton John fans (hi mom!).

Update 2 October 2008: Performance was solid but lacked a little umph from Spektor's shakiness and the lack of the Baldwin. However, the pure genius of the performance was the trombonist, in which everything bad imaginable occurs, especially when the camera is pointed straight at him. Suggestions: watch it once and just watch Folds and Spektor, then watch it a second time and watch nothing but the trombone. Oh, and don't forget to note the marching snare that walks on stage mid-tune and stands in the absolute middle to block out the rest of the section. Good times, I promise you.

2008-09-27T09:04:00.000-10:00

Last True Day of Summer

Today was the last real day of summer here in Chicago, as we have been blessed with a gorgeous Indian summer. The prolonged sunshine has allowed us to enjoy our new back deck a bit longer, even studying for midterms out there, as well as restaraunts keeping the outdoor seating for just a smidge longer. The lake-front shot was from such a place Drew and I went to grab some fish sandwiches. But really this was all foreshadow to the AMAZING evening seeing Robin Williams live at the Chicago Theatre; one of the top five performances I want to see in my lifetime. Check. It was amazing. It has actually been an awesome year for comedy, as Eddie Izzard also came through town a few months previous.

2008-09-26T12:00:00.001-10:00

A message from your Wildcat Spirit leader

"Our football team is UNDEFEATED SO FAR, let's do everything we can to keep it that way! Send emails to every listserv you're on at Northwestern:

At the request of Coach Fitz and the football team,

WEAR PURPLE ON FRIDAYS

all fall to show your support and school spirit. Let's keep that clocktower purple all season long.

GO 'CATS!"

2008-09-26T08:58:00.002-10:00

Party at Marlborough's

Last night a college friend, Joe--onetime political science student turned monk and now back to finish school--, invited a bunch of us over to my Renaissance Literature professor's house for a little party and music-making. He was actually staying there and dog sitting while the owners were gone for the weekend, and I felt nearly evil exploring the house of one of my favorite professors while she wasn't there. They have an enormous three-story brownstone on Fullerton (very posh) a few blocks from campus. This is Kurt standing in her private study. So awesome.

2008-09-26T07:49:00.002-10:00

Mo and his Grey Lady

While indulging in my latest podcast addiction, NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, I have stumbled across a new blog-love, Mo Rocca 180. A satirist and comedic writer whose face you will most likely recognize (and you know you do) from MTV's plethora of I Love the ... period pieces, he is a normal contributor to the game show, and what I consider to be one of the more acerbic contributors. If you are new to Mo, I highly recommend today's posting, "John McCain's Second Divorce," regarding his love affair with the NY Times. Truthfully, only a quarter as tedious as real news.

2008-09-26T05:28:00.003-10:00

Things big and small

A few newsworthy and noteworthy items as of today to distract us from the collapse of our trading infrastructure. Firstly, in the last two years DePaul has contracted with this exterior company to develop uniform websites across the university. The pain it has caused internal departments as well as to enrollment (due to outdated materials) is outweighed at the local level by finding surprise familiar faces in unexpected places. This includes finding a former roommate, Anna, on the English graduate courses web site (she is finishing up a double-degree in Psychology and International Studies...so what is she doing there?).

Secondly, some Ben Folds news in preparation for the CD release this coming Tuesday. Paste has been indulgently on the scene of recent news regarding the pop pianist, reviewing the reunion show as Ben Folds Five in Chapel Hill, as well as a possible collaboration between Folds and Nick Hornsby, which, truth be told, sounds terrible and terrifying.

Say goodbye to summer; the leaves are falling in Chicago and Oktoberfest chases her heals.

2008-09-22T04:05:00.004-10:00

Sans Humanities

Like many other major institutions throughout the country, DePaul has yet again proven that the world believes there is little financial value in the Humanities or the Arts. Apparently the leisure industry -- as our country goes into a severe recession where a huge amount of the population can barely afford the mortgage on their homes -- has something worthwhile and profitable to offer. All students and employees received an e-mail this morning, headed, "I'm excited to share the news that the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has made a $7.5 million gift to the College of Commerce to establish a School of Hospitality Leadership. This represents the second-largest private donation in DePaul's history...Based in the College of Commerce, the school will offer a bachelor's degree in hospitality leadership beginning in fall 2009 to prepare students for management roles at hotels, restaurants, convention and tourism venues, and related leisure industries."

The Pulitzer Prizes and other book awards seem sometimes only a hoax, a front to cover up our national indifference to the understanding of human nature, the human experience, and literature and art in general. The world is in great need of, among a many other things, another Renaissance. To see more about the recent donation to DePaul, see the headlining article in the Chicago Tribune, here.

2008-09-18T05:09:00.001-10:00

More historical british film, please!

Opens this Friday.

2008-09-12T08:38:00.002-10:00

Anna and Brendan in Poland

Check out these great photos Brendan took of his trip to see Anna while she was studying abroad in the motherland; click here. For greater entertainment, select the "Slideshow" link in the upper left hand corner.

2008-09-05T08:53:00.001-10:00

Cinthya Get's Dolled Up

Cin gets ready for a night on the town with Aja's scarf and dress. We survived the first week as roommates; good sign.

2008-08-30T11:45:00.001-10:00

Day 5: Cour d'Alene Lake on the western Idaho border

On our last free afternoon, after we had parted ways for the last time with Jacob for a few months, we took a drive over the Idaho border about a half hour to Lake Cour d'Alene. We didn't do the whole drive around the lake (3.5 hours) but we did drive a solid hour round an edge. It was absolutely stunning in the afternoon light. We even stopped at Wolf Lodge Steakhouse just for Mom, but she could find no Idaho paraphernalia that she liked.

2008-08-29T11:38:00.002-10:00

Day 4: Back through fields of wheat from Walla Walla to Spokane

Sadly we had to leave the next afternoon, back through the wheat fields to Spokane, but not before we got some ice cream and blackberry jam from a local grocer to last us the ride. I love the man in the tree outside this little antique show we stopped at before parting ways. Jacob and I hope to make it out to Walla Walla for Thanksgiving so we can see the whole gang for the holiday. This post also includes my favorite photo of the trip, Dad thigh-high in untopped wheat and loving it.

2008-08-28T10:59:00.010-10:00

Day 3: On the family farm with the Hayes' in Walla Walla

Mom, Dad and I drove about three hours through fields and seas of wheat, just about ready for harvest, from Spokane south to Walla Walla, just up against the Idaho border. My great aunt Sue and Uncle Tom moved out there from Union, Oregon in the last two years to a family home they had rented for years and were finally ready to retire to. The home and adjacent river, barn and alfalfa fields have been in my family for many, many generations. In fact, the house is a reincarnation of the original that burned down a few generations back. My aunt and uncle have nearly finished the complete overhaul of the house itself, incorporating much of the original artwork, cabinetry, door ways and design and updating it in the same breath. It is a really cool, soothing place. Much of the furniture, especially desks, shelves and chairs,were made by my great great uncle and have been refinished for preservation. Even my mother's favorite childhood chair was still around.

We tramped around the house and field, ate wild blackberries, checked out the barn (the next big project), the spot where my mom caught her first fish, the skunk hole, and so on. My cousin Jack and his wife Michelle were very recently married, early in the summer at a nearby winery, and held their reception on the property. My favourite part, the floor-to-ceiling wall of cabinets and cupboards in the bedroom I slept in which are original to the house. Even the nobbs were made of wood by hand. It was simply beautiful.

2008-08-27T10:56:00.003-10:00

Day 2: Chit, chat and food at Gonzaga

After a luncheon provided by Unity House and the President's Office, the Jesuit's took us on a tour of campus and then a long afternoon of presentations on academic, feeding, study abroad, etcetera etcetera etcetera. The weather has been cool but very beautiful, as we are completely surrounded by the Blue Mountains of eastern Washington. That evening we went to downtown Spokane, which consists mostly of a large open park along the Spokane River. That night was Pig Out in the Park, and outdoor small food and music festival. The parents and I hung out and enjoyed the evening under the stars together. A side note: notice the bulldog mascot Jake is riding has broken from his chain? The remnants are on the wall to the right of him if you look closely.

2008-08-26T10:53:00.005-10:00

Day 1: Jacob moves into Gonzaga

Officially a Zag, Jake moved into Campion with his roommate Mark. Unfortunately I was not able to get a snapshot of them together, but I anticipate they will get along fine. The dorm is called Campion Hall, right in the center of the beautifully wooded main campus across from the Crosby Student Center (named for famed singer and Gonzaga alumni, ole' blue eyes Bing Crosby).

2008-08-20T14:37:00.005-10:00

Brittany in Publication #20

She's a machine folks. Although this article is of particular interest: we like to think we are impervious to advertising and yet, so not true.
29 Percent of Internet Users Admit Purchasing from Spam.
And in response, click here.
Schizophrenic Keyboard Thinks It's a Scanner.

2008-08-16T10:24:00.003-10:00

Lamb-Balthrop Wedding

In Drexel Hiil, Pennsylvannia, Adam and Katie were married. Childhood friends of Drew's, Chicago friends of mine; it was simply beautiful.

2008-08-13T10:22:00.000-10:00

Good Morning

Some neighborhood kitty welcomes me to the area, and to a new day.

2008-08-13T03:54:00.009-10:00

BF @ Congress

The tickets are out for Ben Folds in Chicago. He will be playing the Congress Theatre on Friday, October 10th. Last time he was in town he played the Chicago Theatre, a bit classier of a joint, but significantly smaller than what the Congress can hold. I have mixed feelings about the venue, having seen Panic at the Disco earlier this year there and not particularly impressed by the acoustics of the gouged-out theatre. We were on a platform right under the lip of the balcony, when sound seems to hit and deaden immediately. Despite the popularity of the Chicago, the venue always struggles with actual bands because it is a sit-and-watch-yuppies-pace-the-aisles-for-alcohol endeavor, or by standing you can't really see and are squished in the almost always near-capacity setting. Aside from that, I am particularly enjoying the self-indulgent label, "Ben Folds: Primal Smirk Tour." Our consummate tongue-in-cheek man.

2008-08-08T11:07:00.003-10:00

The Truth behind the permanence of Email

Anger can be eloquent and funny, here.

'I have never ended on an unstressed syllable!'
This week a furious and foul-mouthed email from the Times' restaurant critic Giles Coren to the paper's subeditors went viral. And it isn't the first time. Laura Barton introduces a choice selection
Laura Barton
Friday July 25 2008
The Guardian

Amid all the kerfuffle over Canoe Wife, the credit crunch and Karadzic, it could be that you missed this week's most entertaining story; that of an irate email from Giles Coren, restaurant critic for the Times, to the newspaper's subeditors, leaked in all its wonderfully expletive glory. This was not the first of Coren's mails to unexpectedly see the light of day: previous outbursts have included a chastening missive to Feargus O'Sullivan, restaurant critic at the London Paper, and an exasperated tirade over the subediting of a book review.

"I'm more well-known for these emails than for anything else I've done," says Coren, somewhat sheepishly, adding that he has in a number of hours received more than 20 supportive emails from newspaper writers, including Mike Atherton, and been abused in the street by a member of the public. "So it's a mixed response," he says.

Coren admits that he sent another angry email recently, but it was intercepted by his editor, who gave him a stern telling-off. "People say 'Why don't you moderate your tone?'" he muses.

For those not familiar with the newspaper editing process, it works a little like this: a writer files an article to an editor, who then passes it to a subeditor, who sets it out on the page, cuts the words to fit, checks for spelling and grammatical errors, wanton cursing and factual inaccuracies.

There is, it must be said, something of a long-standing tension between writers and subeditors. We writers are rather protective of our words, prone to filing late and flouncing about and are altogether a tad precious. In short, subeditors view us as the Little Lord Fauntleroys of the office, and we in turn view them as our evil nemeses, hellbent on our undoing.

So while half of Fleet Street undoubtedly thought Coren a proper wazzock for his outpouring this week, there were at least some of us who sympathised somewhat. Most of us, at one point or another, have mentally drafted what we shall henceforth refer to as a "Corenian" letter, but never quite found the chutzpah required to actually send it. So today Giles, on behalf of your fellow hacks, we'd just like to say thanks, buddy - you've taken one for the team.The offending emails

To: the Times subeditors

From: Coren, Giles

Chaps,

I am mightily pissed off ... I don't really like people tinkering with my copy for the sake of tinkering. I do not enjoy the suggestion that you have a better ear or eye for how I want my words to read than I do ... It was the final sentence. Final sentences are very, very important. A piece builds to them, they are the little jingle that the reader takes with him into the weekend.

I wrote: "I can't think of a nicer place to sit this spring over a glass of rosé and watch the boys and girls in the street outside smiling gaily to each other, and wondering where to go for a nosh." It appeared as: "I can't think of a nicer place to sit this spring over a glass of rosé and watch the boys and girls in the street outside smiling gaily to each other, and wondering where to go for nosh."

There is no length issue. This is someone thinking, "I'll just remove this indefinite article because Coren is an illiterate cunt and i know best."

Well, you fucking don't. This was shit, shit subediting for three reasons.

1) "Nosh", as I'm sure you fluent Yiddish speakers know, is a noun formed from a bastardisation of the German "naschen". It is a verb, and can be construed into two distinct nouns. One, "nosh" means simply "food". You have decided that this is what i meant and removed the "a". I am insulted enough that you think you have a better ear for English than me. But a better ear for Yiddish? I doubt it. Because the other noun, "nosh" means "a session of eating" ...

2) I will now explain why your error is even more shit than it looks. You see, i was making a joke. I do that sometimes. I have set up the street as "sexually charged". I have described the shenanigans across the road at G.A.Y. I have used the word "gaily" as a gentle nudge. And "looking for a nosh" has a secondary meaning of looking for a blowjob. Not specifically gay, for this is soho, and there are plenty of girls there who take money for noshing boys. "looking for nosh" does not have that ambiguity. the joke is gone. I only wrote that sodding paragraph to make that joke. And you've fucking stripped it out like a pissed Irish plasterer restoring a renaissance fresco and thinking jesus looks shit with a bear so plastering over it. You might as well have removed the whole paragraph. I mean, fucking christ, don't you read the copy?

3) And worst of all. Dumbest, deafest, shittest of all, you have removed the unstressed "a" so that the stress that should have fallen on "nosh" is lost, and my piece ends on an unstressed syllable. When you're winding up a piece of prose, metre is crucial. Can't you hear? Can't you hear that it is wrong? It's not fucking rocket science. It's fucking pre-GCSE scansion. I have written 350 restaurant reviews for The Times and i have never ended on an unstressed syllable. Fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck.

I am sorry if this looks petty (last time i mailed a Times sub about the change of a single word i got in all sorts of trouble) but i care deeply about my work and i hate to have it fucked up by shit subbing ... And, just out of interest, I'd like whoever made that change to email me and tell me why. Tell me the exact reasoning which led you to remove that word from my copy.

Right, Sorry to go on. Anger, real steaming fucking anger can make a man verbose.

All the best

Giles

To: the Times subeditors

From: Coren, Giles

Sent: August 10 2002 16.41

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. how fucking difficult is that? it's the sentence that bestrides the fucking book i reviewed for you. it is the sentence i wrote first in my fucking review. it is 35 fucking letters long, which is why i wrote that it was. and so some useless cunt subeditor decides to change it to "jumps over A lazy dog" can you fucking count? can you see that that makes it a 33 letter sentence? so it looks as if i can't count, and the cunting author of the book, poor mr dunn, cannot count. the whole bastard book turns on the sentence being as i fucking wrote it. and that it is exactly 33 letters long. why do you meddle. what do you think you achieve with that kind of dumb-witted smart-arsery? why do you change things you do not understand without consulting. why do you believe you know best when you know fuck all. jack shit.

that is as bad as editing can be. fuck, i hope you're proud. it will be small relief for the author that nobody reads your poxy magazine.

never ever ask me to write something for you. and don't pay me. i'd rather take £400 quid for assassinating a crack whore's only child in a revenge killing for a busted drug deal - my integrity would be less compromised.

jesus fucking wept i don't know what else to say.

To: the London Paper's restaurant critic

From: Coren, Giles

Sent: 09 July 2008 23:06

feargus,

I'm emailing to say that your review of osteria emilia, in most ways perfectly fine and good and spot on, pissed me off. i booked, as ever, under a pseudonym, that over made up italian bird did not have a fucking clue who i was (or even who baddiel was, who i ate with because he lives, like me, round the corner). Nor were there any kitchen staff peeking out of any porthole. i appreciate that you have to keep your column as lively as possible - and name dropping david i guess might be exciting for your readers (i'll certainly be doing it in my column) - but in your froth to show how folksy and incognito you are, you did your readers and the restaurant an immense disservice: you suggested that i got some special dispensation in eating a la carte. But if you'd spent a bit more time looking at your lunch menu, and a bit less gawping at me, you'd have noticed that it said, "dishes from the evening a la carte menu are available at lunchtime, with some exceptions".

You said "i didn't have the brass neck to demand anything off the unavailable a la carte". it makes you sound like an utter tit. you are not only a chippy fuck but a lazy journalist. 'brass neck'. learn to write, and take your head out of your arse, you fucking twat.

all the best

giles coren

Note: These are abridged - but not subedited - versions of the original emails.

2008-08-05T04:47:00.000-10:00

Sleepy Cat

So cute, you will reconsider your sinful life.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

2008-08-05T04:35:00.001-10:00

Where's Helvetica?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

2008-08-03T09:54:00.004-10:00

Lollapalooza 2008: Day Three

2008-08-02T09:32:00.006-10:00

Lollapalooza 2008: Day Two

2008-08-01T16:11:00.006-10:00

Lollapalooza 2008: Day One

2008-07-30T09:24:00.004-10:00

Lollapalooza Is Upon Us

It has finally come. The 2008 summer music festival known as Lollapalooza. Although one of the more corporately funded and controlled major music festivals, particularly in the Midwest, the convenience of the shin-dig draws in hundreds of thousands of participants to Chicago's central Grant Park on the lakefront of the downtown business district, aka the Loop. The festival runs all weekend, starting Friday in the early afternoon. Click here to see my proposed schedule of acts for the weekend. Once my internet is up and fully responsive, look for photos in the coming week. Where will you be?

Friday: 88 F and sunny, with chance of thunderstorms in the evening
Saturday: 88 , sunny and clear all day
Sunday: 91 F clear to partly cloudy for most of the day and evening

2008-07-29T04:46:00.002-10:00

Advertising for DePaul

So, just as I leave Residential Education at DePaul and finally feel as if I am slowly pulling away -- the appropriate path as I head into my final year -- I discover I am now used as a marketing item for the university. I am flattered, yes, but unsure of how to feel about it? I will take it as a compliment I suppose. Check me out in the Student Profiles section, here.

2008-07-28T10:43:00.001-10:00

NOTICE

Hey, all.

I am sorry for the inconsistent communication via email. The Comcast is on the fritz at home so I don't have access to email or the internet after 5 pm most days, and sometimes sooner on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This should be remedied by Wednesday at the very earliest. Thanks!

2008-07-26T16:01:00.000-10:00

Chris and Katie: Day Two

After lots of food at Flub a Dub Chub, another play at the Lookinglass -- Lookinglass Alice -- the obligatory Cloud Gate/Bean stop had to commence. The night also included Uno's pizza but somehow we totally missed Venetian Night happening at the lake, walking distance away.

2008-07-25T15:47:00.000-10:00

Chris & Katie: Day One

Chris and Katie (Drew's brother and his girlfriend) flew in to Chicago for a weekend summer visit. The day consisted of a fantastic Cubs game with beautiful weather -- although we lost in the final minutes -- and a viewing of Matt's play, "The Attempters" being remounted at Theatre on the Lake.

2008-07-23T09:45:00.003-10:00

Brittany in Publication #20

Her last PCMag.com article of the season. I have enjoyed the articles, I know you have, too. Digg it: The 9 Best Facebook Apps. Also making the rounds:
Jimi Hendrix to Grace Guitar Hero
iPorn Goes 3G

2008-07-23T08:55:00.000-10:00

A Most Convincing Prank

I got at least two of you today completely convinced for a second it was real, via email. Try it out for yourself, at News3Online.

2008-07-20T15:44:00.000-10:00

The cutest puppy in the world
Having gorged itself on Anne Sather cinnamon buns, it sleeps. Beware.

2008-07-19T08:49:00.002-10:00

"I Survived My 21st Birthday"
As previously stated, a fabulous Friday night with Spencer, Aja and Drew at IO, reveling in the revelry of Improvised Shakespeare. Then, Saturday monring gifts with the family over the telephone, a fanatstic dinner at Roy's (Hawaiian Fusion) with Drew, and then a surprise party waiting back at the apartment! How lucky could a girl be?! Alas, when you are the birthday girl, little pictures do you have of the festivities. However, note the lei was shipped in via the parents to Drew for the surprise; absolutely fresh orchids and tuberose. Beautiful! Attendance: Aja, Drew, Liz, John, Curt, Cinthya, Matt, Matt, Keri, Sarah, Spencer, Scott, Sofia, Ali, Brittany, Gil, Garrett, Lizzy, Chris, Joe, Katie, etc.

2008-07-18T15:29:00.000-10:00

The last moments . . .

. . . Of being able to do virtuously illegal things. By the way, Improvised Shakespeare at IO is amazing. All must attend, pronto.

2008-07-15T18:44:00.004-10:00

PASTE: Ben Folds talks new album and release date
By Jason Killingsworth on July 8, 2008 7:00 AM
Pastemagazine.com

Everybody’s favorite piano-rocking, Shatner-collaborating, sailor-mouthed goofball Ben Folds has a new album hitting shelves on Sept. 16 (now Sept 30). Way To Normal, the singer’s first new studio LP since 2005’s Songs For Silverman, is produced by Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) and will be released on Epic Records.

Even though Folds has played some high-profile shows over the past couple years backed by a full symphony orchestra (he’s scheduled to perform with the Nashville Symphony on Sept. 7 to open its 2008-09 Pops season) the new record is still unabashedly rock.

“It’s a fairly un-orchestral record,” Folds tells Paste. “It’s a fairly lyric-driven rock record. We’ve looked at taking a few of the songs on the new record and scoring them for orchestra and, uh, it was kind of slim pickins.”

Notable tracks include a quirky duet with Regina Spektor called “You Don’t Know Me” and a glitchy sonic experiment called “Free Coffee” on which Folds gets a crackling faux-electronic effect by taping Altoids cans to the strings of his acoustic grand piano and running that sound through a distortion pedal.

The cheeky irreverence that’s become Folds’ trademark is still on full display in tunes like “Bitch Went Nuts,” which tells the fictional story of a relationship that went south after the narrator’s lover goes psycho and stabs his basketball. According to Folds, the song is a comment on the male perspective. “If you ask loads of women what went wrong in a relationship, they’re going to give you a variety of answers. But you ask men, especially at a bar somewhere, and they’re gonna go, ‘Uh, bitch went nuts!’”

Considering Folds’ penchant for fun-loving shenanigans, have any fellow artists or friends urged him to grow up?

“No, luckily I have a loyal team of yes men. And whatever I say is just the fucking shit. No, that’s not true at all. What I do have is a few good friends and people that I work with who are really happy when I’m having a good time with something.”

Click here to read Jason Killingsworth's full Q&A with Folds, or here for the 2005 article, Cover Story: Ben Folds Outgrows the Industry of Cool.

2008-07-13T15:27:00.000-10:00

J Cool

On our way to the Old Town Folk Festival, Drew thought he would be clever and steal my sun glasses. I think it caused a decrease in karma; we waited for the bus for almost an hour.

2008-07-10T18:46:00.000-10:00

Amish on the Bus

2008-07-07T16:13:00.004-10:00

Fourth of July Makawao Rodeo

Yeah, the cousins in Hawai'i barrel race. They are pretty cool, but you would never think we were related looking at us.

Fourth of July Show Finals

The girls, including cousins Taylor, Jodi-Lynn and soon-to-be step-mom Casey made it to the final rounds of barrel racing in each of their divisions. I believe Taylor and Casey were in the women's division but Jodi is still in elementary school and was in another. Photographic evidence.

2008-07-06T05:48:00.003-10:00

The The Impotence of Proofreading

My new favourite person on the planet; check him out at http://www.taylormali.com/index.html.

2008-07-05T18:44:00.000-10:00

Moving In

Finally in our new place, on the west side of Lakeview off of Southport and Lincoln. Look! Aja found the shower curtain!

2008-07-02T11:11:00.002-10:00

Boss in the news, saving community

Northbrook residents circulate petitions against $150 million housing, retail project
By Courtney Flynn
Chicago Tribune reporter

Residents, headed by Susan Jacobs, opposed to a major housing and retail development at one of Northbrook's main gateways are e-mailing and calling officials and circulating petitions to halt a movie theater central to the project. The complete article can be viewed here.

2008-07-02T06:09:00.003-10:00

THE MYSTERIOUS ELEPHANT and the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins(*Who Kill Him) gets strong reviews

Friends Matt and Carol are in a new play by Chicago-voted Emily Schwartz and getting really strong reviews. The Neo-Gothic satire is appropriately described as a mash-up of "Charles Dickens somehow crossed with Tim Burton and Monty Python." Some recent reviews are as follows:

"Laughs and cleverness abound-The Strange Tree Group does Chicago storefront theater proud."
Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com

"Playwright Schwartz thrives at the intersection of goofy and ghoulish"
Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

"An ingenious mash-up of literary and visual styles"
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune

"A banquet of toothsomely morbid wit to savor"
Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

2008-06-30T09:58:00.003-10:00

It's Finally Happening

It's official folks, I am moving into my first apartment this Friday, the Fourth of July. Talk about a day of independence. My roommates, Cinthya and Aja, will be on-hand but we are looking for a few extra hands to help moving the few large pieces of furniture we have, specifically 1 couch, 2 beds, and 2 desks. All elves and helpers will be fed and watered amply. We are located at:

1521 W Barry Ave
Garden Apt
Chicago, IL 60614

The place is four blocks from the Southport Brownline stop, and right at the Lincoln/Sheffield/Barry #11 Bus stop. Funny enough, none of us are over 5'1", so any help will be greatly appreciated (an rewarded). Look forward to seeing you on Friday!

2008-06-28T10:45:00.000-10:00

Another Engagement Party!

My first cousin on my mother's side, Katie Newby, has gotten engaged. Yipee! Click here for a photo of the two. Also, Grandma Joyce took a recent road trip up to Idaho to visit some family and took some wonderful photos. To view her slide show, click here.

However, Jack Hayes, recently married, is very cute with his new wife. But, my aunt Sue and uncle Tom look a bit more fun.

2008-06-27T10:18:00.004-10:00

New Favourite Thing

I remember I time, very early on where I could barely swallow pop or rock, and was primarily concerned with the latest "From the Top" contestant on NPR. Thankfully, my musically pallet has acquired a variety of new tastes, and, although far from hip (by any means), I got Feed the Animals the day of release. Having enjoyed Gillis' first two albums, the prophecy of purchase was confirmed after he did an aftershow at DePaul this spring. See the Pitchfork review below:

Girl Talk
Feed the Animals
[Illegal Art; 2008]
Rating: 8.0
Ryan Dombal, June 27, 2008

"Unlike mash-up makers in it to figure out the lamest way to combine two song titles, justify their existence with cheap mp3 blog Diggs, or wind up in a Cobrasnake shot with some Olsen twin look-a-like, Gillis just really likes stuffing tons of his favorite FM moments into bursts of Top 40 overload. 'I'm a pop music enthusiast,' he told me. Hailing from the anti-flash city of Pittsburgh, Gillis has sidestepped the Absolut-sponsored stigma associated with of-the-moment party starters ever since 2006's Night Ripper sent him on a never-ending tour of sweat-stained clubs. While his live set changes with the ebb and flow of the Hot 100, this is Gillis' first major release as a semi-popular act. Unsurprisingly, his new record, Feed the Animals, comes off like the ultimate July 4th rooftop soundtrack. Seems like those stage-crashing dates made the unassuming former biomedical engineer even more eager to indulge his hungry followers. As the recognizable samples zip by at a dizzying clip, it's as if Gillis is standing tall above the fray, screaming: 'Are you not entertained?!'" For the complete review, click here. If you are flat-out ready for it, here.

2008-06-26T10:53:00.000-10:00

Chicago History Museum . . . one big 'ole grave yard

Photos of the internship location, the back yard of the Chicago History Museum. Lincoln Park was the city cemetery until the century turned 'round and the graves were moved to the 190-acre Graceland, as the lake was receding the shoreline and threatening exposure of the remains. Only one remains, the Couch tomb. Check out the research being done at Northwestern, as well as this cool new resource, the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

2008-06-25T09:27:00.004-10:00

Ben Folds Eyeing September For New Album
April 25, 2008 , 10:50 AM ET
Gary Graff, Detroit (Billboard.com)
Ben Folds is hoping to have his next album out in September, but he plans to keep previewing new songs at shows before then, including appearances at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee and festivals in Berlin and Britain. For the rest of the interview, click here.

Ben Folds at 2008 Bonnaroo
Videos are from the AT&T live broadcast, courtesy of grahamregarding.wordpress.com. Reportedly new tracks from the upcoming album, they include Errant Dog, Free Coffee, and Hiroshima.

2008-06-20T16:09:00.004-10:00

Four-Eyes

Suggested readings from Professor Beiringer and DePaul's History Department, because I don't already have a red, alligator skin bag brimming with books scheduled to be read this summer. But in case you don't, here they are:

Bitter Fruit: The Story of the U.S. Coup in Guatemala by Stephen Kinzer
The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke by Timothy Snyder
1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kurlansky
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
A Treasury of Royal Scandals by Michael Farquhar
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business by Fredric Dannen
The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda by Elizabeth Neuffer
Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times by George Crile
Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser

2008-06-18T11:17:00.003-10:00

Bowie Lyrics
Even though it has been over a month since we saw the guys, I ran accross this song today while at work, always pleased by strong sardonic lyricism. Simply posted, the lyrics to the Flight of the Conchord's "Bowie."

Bowie's in space
Bowie's in space
Whatcha doin' out there man?
That's pretty freaky, Bowie.
What's a rock musician doing out in space man?
Isn't it cold, quite cold out there Bowie?
Do you need my jumper Bowie?
Does the space cold do funny things to your nipples, making them all pointy?
Bowie.
Do you use your pointy nipples as telescopic antennae transmitting data back to Earth?
Data back to Earth d-d-do, d-d-do, do do
I bet you do you freaky old bastard you

*Spoken*
Is it lonely out there in space man, or is there life on Mars? Wouldn't that be weird coz you wrote that song, 'Is There Life on Mars'. You could write a follow up tune and call it 'And There Is'

Mmmm, and there is yes there is.
There's heaps of it and it's all freaking out at my new look.
Bowie do you have one really funky sequined space suit, Bowie?
Or do you have several ch-ch-ch-ch- changes?
Space changes
Do they smoke grass out there in space man, or do they smoke Astroturf?

*Spoken*
Receiving transmission from David Bowie's nipple antennae. Do you read me, Lieutenant Bowie?

This is Bowie to Bowie, do you hear me out there man?
This is Bowie back to Bowie I read you loud and clear, man.
Oooh yeah man!
Your signal is weak on my radar screen. How far out are you man?
I'm pretty far out
That's pretty far out man
I'm orbiting Pluto!
Drawn in by its grooveatational (grooveatational) pull
I'm jamming out with the Mick Jaggernauts
And they think it's pretty cool, man.

Are you ok Bowie? What was that sound?
I don't know man, I'll have to turn my ship around.
Oh it's the craziest thing
Yeah, I'm picking it up on my LSD screen.
Oooh, but can you see the stratosphere, ringing?
To the choir of Afronauts singing

Eeniee e ma ma meenie miny moey
Set your phasers on funky
Eeniee ma ma meenie miny moey
Pippew, pipew pipew, pew
Eenie, ma ma meenie minie miny moey
B-b-b-b Bowies in.....

2008-06-18T11:13:00.006-10:00

Marketa and Glen have a 'Swell Season' @ The Chicago Theatre

Drew and I agreed, one of the Top 5 shows we have ever seen. The Frames, Glen and Marketa were so personable, interested, and their music was amazing. Not only did they play the movie material, but two new songs and also material from Glen's solo Album entitled The Swell Season. Glen also did an amazing cover of Van Morrison's "Born Again," and mid-way through their Grammy-winning song "Falling Slowly," the jam section simmered down so he could dedicate the song to a special guest in the house, none other than Sen, Barack Obama. The music really did ebb and flow, inducing multiple cathartic moments with lush, yet simplistic arrangements all created live with the Frames. The best use of a loop pedal I have ever seen was by Frames' Gaelic violinist, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, who recently released a solo album as well, and treated the audience to one. There were several sing-alongs in the mains et as well as by the opening act, Brendan O'Shea, with surprisingly strong audience support. A few photos to follow.

2008-06-14T18:15:00.003-10:00

Lincoln Park Farmer's Market and Old Town Art Festival

2008-06-11T03:29:00.004-10:00

New Job: DePaul University's Center for Writing

This week I was notified that I have been hired as an consultant to work in DePaul's Center for Writing. I will be taking a Theory and Pedagogy course in the fall as formal instruction, but will also begin working at that point as well; most likely only a handful of hours per week, but paid nonetheless. Drew use to work there as a Graduate Assistant, and fellow English majors Aja Gorham and Will Stark work there as well.

In other news, I officially move off-campus for the first time ever this weekend, into Aja's aunt's condo off Canal Street for approximately a month before we can move into our new garden apartment in mid-late July; because couch-surfing builds character, so they tell me.

2008-06-09T12:26:00.002-10:00

Marion Maccarrell Scott Scholarship Fund

Just a quick update on myself; I was notified today that I received the world peace oriented Marion Maccarrell Scott Scholarship fund today. Finally, those writing skills are beginning to pay off, if only in very small amounts. In case anyone is interested, I applied though the Hawaii Community Foundation, a website designed for Hawai'i students preparing to attend and attending college. I know of several people, Northwestern student Brittany Petersen included, that have received awards and grants through the website and their resources. I hope someday the means of affording college will change, and I hope our current presidential candidates will actually do something about the issue, and not simply manipulate students' poverty to get the youth vote. There are certainly some days when I am certain there is no stronger motivation on earth, than money.

2008-06-09T08:56:00.005-10:00

Brittany in Publication #19

Because we don;t have other things to read and review during finals week. These articles have been getting particular buzz at PcMag in recent weeks.

Laptop Orchestra Makes (Sound) Waves
HP Intros 17 New Notebooks, 1-Billion-Color Display
HP Unveils Second-Gen TouchSmart PCs
Geek Match Making: Dating Help for Geeks
Behind China's Great Firewall
New LGBT Social Networking Site Tries To Stand Out From The Rest

2008-06-07T03:58:00.000-10:00

Dave Matthews Band @ Toyota Park

Drew and I attended DMB at the Toyota Park soccer stadium Friday night. My fourth DMB experience, this is the first show I have ever attended where the venue was not sold out. Notorious for their more-than-annoying fan base, this actually made the experience much more enjoyable and there were less skanky, drunk high schoolers to wade through. We were lucky and exchanged our tickets at the last minute for terrace seats, which gave us a perfect view. The evening was warm and windy (tornado warnings were still in effect) but it gave the show a cathartic, almost ethereal feel. Word traveled fast on the bus that Bela Fleck sound check with the group earlier in the day, and in fact played a significant portion of the show with them. The lack of Butch Taylor was saddening and very noticeable, from which a positive outcome came two-fold: Tim Reynolds has returned to play the entire tour with DMB, and also, the band has returned to some of their older material that hasn't been done on tour in several years. The set list from this year's Toyota Park show and photos are as follows (*Bela Fleck):

Dreaming Tree
You Might Die Trying
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
Crash Into Me
#27
Grey Street
Money (Pink Floyd cover)
So Damn Lucky
Gravedigger
Louisiana Bayou
#41*
Don’t Drink the Water*
Corn Bread*
Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd
Everyday
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much
Ants Marching*
__________________

Long Black Veil
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

2008-06-03T17:34:00.004-10:00

Brittany in Publication #18

Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president
Clinton is finally throwing in the towel [UPDATED]
nVidia to Launch New Notebook GPUs, Hybrid SLI
Asus Announces Upgraded Eee PCs
Solio Hybrid 1000
Green Gadget Chargers

2008-06-02T11:04:00.002-10:00

Humor from a recent graduate

Apparently, this is what is funny these days to the average 18-year old. I can dig it, except I feel strangely old inside. This is appropriate since Drew and I are seeing Dave Matthews Band this Friday at Toyota Park.

This is only made funnier by the fact that both Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews played for a local music awards ceremony in Honolulu a few months later, dallying in some humorous self-deprecation.

2008-06-01T17:51:00.000-10:00

Jacob's High School Graduate Party . . . via Mia

2008-05-29T17:46:00.000-10:00

Ryan's gig at Brownstones . . . again!

2008-05-29T13:36:00.003-10:00

Jack Patrick is now The Doctor
Cousin Jack graduated this weekend in Canada with his PhD. Also featured is his fiance Michele, cousin Mary, and Aunt Susie and Uncle Tom.

2008-05-28T17:46:00.002-10:00

Brittany in Publication #17
Employee Monitoring: It's Not Paranoia—You Really Are Being Watched!
Laptops for College Grads
Former Bush press sec’s damning new book
New York to recognize gay marriage
Reid says Democrats will have a candidate next week

2008-05-28T17:45:00.002-10:00

A Final Sunset from Centennial

2008-05-28T17:45:00.001-10:00

Henri

2008-05-28T02:39:00.002-10:00

Sunrise Over Sheffield

Someday I hope to say that in the UK.