Chicago MMXII

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (7982 of them)

I'm no stan for Sears Roebuck & Co., but it's an iconic name. Over time people will start calling it "Willis." A friend who works there says that he calls it Willis or "Willis Tower, which used to be called the Sears Tower."

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 14:52 (twelve years ago) link

I'm going to call it Scooby Tower.

Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 14:58 (twelve years ago) link

I approve.

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 14:59 (twelve years ago) link

Millennium park summer concert schedule announced, discus

Downtown Sound, Mondays, 6:30 PM

5/28: Kelly Hogan, Scott Lucas & the Married Men

6/4: Jonathan Richman, Joel Paterson & the Modern Sounds

6/11: The Eternals, Wild Belle

6/18: Cloud Cult, Judson Claiborne

6/25: Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Chico Trujillo

7/2: Joan of Arc, Daniel Knox

7/9: The Sadies, James Vincent McMorrow

7/16: Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires, Abigail Washburn

7/23: Ana Tijoux, Sidi Touré

7/30: SMOD, M.A.K.U. Soundsystem

Loops and Variations, Thursdays, 6:30 PM

6/7: Chris Clark, Jan Jelinek & Andrew Pekler, Casino Versus Japan

6/14: Deerhoof and Ensemble Dal Niente

6/28: Eighth Blackbird

7/5: A Winged Victory for the Sullen and ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble)

7/12: Third Coast Percussion

Sun 8/26: John Luther Adams's Inuksuit, at 5:30 PM

Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz, Thursdays, 6:30 PM

7/19: Blowing in From Chicago, with Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Ari Brown

7/26: Erwin Helfer: A Life in Boogie and Blues

8/2: Roots of Routes: Makaya McCraven's Global Unit

8/16: By a Little Light: Matt Ulery's Loom with special guests

8/23: Frank Rosaly's ¡Todos de Pie! (Everyone Stand Up!)

8/30: Exquisitely for Ella: A Songbook Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, with Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra (opening night of the 34th annual Chicago Jazz Festival)

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:46 (twelve years ago) link

nothing i'm superpumped for but i'd be down to see eighth blackbird again

congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:47 (twelve years ago) link

I like Ana Tijoux and Frank Rosaly, but I'm not sure I care about any of the others? Do I?

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:47 (twelve years ago) link

I just prefer to call things by their proper name. Like I say Metta World Peace now instead of Ron Artest.

Jeff, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:48 (twelve years ago) link

the tom waits cover band is playing in welles park in july

congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:48 (twelve years ago) link

deerhoof might be cool, but otherwise not a whole lot that gets me excited

heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:49 (twelve years ago) link

actually i want to see jonathan richman

congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:51 (twelve years ago) link

Definitely want to try and see A Winged Victory for the Sullen

deploying a sewer otter unit (askance johnson), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:54 (twelve years ago) link

whoa joan of arc is still a band

would see j richman too

Silky Slim (dan m), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 15:56 (twelve years ago) link

starting to follow this thread since I'll be bouncing through in a little over a month and want to check out lodging/fap ideas

On a related note, I think I've stayed at the Super 8 around the corner from La Lechera, assuming it's the one in Rogers Park!

mh, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:00 (twelve years ago) link

None of those performances are particularly appealing to me, which is too bad as there's usually at least two bands/performers that I am excited to see.

Hello mh. Apparently the Sofitel in the Loop is really nice!

PS: I am showing my students The Interrupters this Saturday and next Saturday.

Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:10 (twelve years ago) link

I am prob most interested in Occidental Brothers (they do Afro-pop, right?) and Eighth Blackbird, depending on what the latter's program is.

Also, a friend from high school (whom I haven't seen in 10+ years) plays with Ensemble dal Niente, which I keep meaning to check out.

sockless in moccasins (jaymc), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:11 (twelve years ago) link

The John Luther Adams performance might be cool -- it's apparently a piece for "9 to 99 percussionists."

A review of a NYC show last year said:

Listeners walking through the park before 5 p.m. found small arrays of unattended drums, cymbals, xylophones and other instruments stationed along the park’s stairs and walkways, and conch shells, paper cones and rubber tubes scattered around the lawn where the performance was to begin. At 5, the 99 percussionists filed into the field, retrieved the smaller instruments and started the performance with gentle windlike sounds. They added graceful, eerie tones and harmonies by swinging the rubber tubes at various velocities; and they used sandpaper blocks and frame drums filled with bottle caps to create texture.

sockless in moccasins (jaymc), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:16 (twelve years ago) link

Hi mh. Keep us abreast of your visits and we'll fap w/ you.

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:16 (twelve years ago) link

Where do you chicago kids usually fap, anyway?

mh, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:07 (twelve years ago) link

several of us live in the north center/lincoln square/ravenswood area so that tends to be a pretty common meetup region. or do you mean specific bars?

congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:09 (twelve years ago) link

eh, either way, that gives me a general idea.

mh, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:10 (twelve years ago) link

On a related note, I think I've stayed at the Super 8 around the corner from La Lechera, assuming it's the one in Rogers Park!

OMG!! We can totally hang out! Sisters! You are also right by the lake with only a 4 lane street to cross before you get to a lakeside basketball court, tennis courts, a walking path, a huge beach, and much much more! Also around the corner from me.

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:19 (twelve years ago) link

This is how excited I get when someone is in my neighborhood ^^

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:19 (twelve years ago) link

hah, my friends lived on estes for a number of years but have since moved to mundelein, unfortunately.

mh, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:22 (twelve years ago) link

If you're really lucky you can get D (mr lechera) to talk about his freaky Iowa hometown.

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:31 (twelve years ago) link

Don't walk 3 wide on the walking path.

Jeff, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:11 (twelve years ago) link

My parents are visiting in May and staying at the Days Inn on Diversey. I suspect it's a pretty crappy hotel, but otherwise they would have picked somewhere super inconvenient like out by O'Hare.

Jeff, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:12 (twelve years ago) link

I don't think it's that crappy. It's nothing special, but probably not a dump. They'll be a block from my house. That'll be nice.

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link

we're gonna come to your apartment and stand three wide in your doorway to maximize our chances of getting in your way

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link

have you guys heard about the comptroller of dixon, il, who managed to embezzle more than $30 million over six years from the city, which has an annual budget of about $9 million - she basically stole more than half of the town's budget every year, without being caught in annual audits

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-dixon-comptroller-charges-20120419,0,1379858.story

i didn't see this in the few articles i looked at, but the guy from my office who was telling me about it said she only got caught because she took a four-month leave of absence, and the person who was covering for her saw that the numbers didn't add up

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:23 (twelve years ago) link

sorry, she was CFO, not comptroller

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:23 (twelve years ago) link

That's amazing.

Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:24 (twelve years ago) link

will read!

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:24 (twelve years ago) link

How do people think they'll get away with this shit? They might for a while but there are *always* paper trails.

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:29 (twelve years ago) link

I heard that story this morning on the radio, and the announcer said she stole all that money "without being caught"... my immediate thought was "Yes she did get caught, that's why you're talking about it!"

Silky Slim (dan m), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:30 (twelve years ago) link

People be self destructive!

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:30 (twelve years ago) link

also we only know about the people who get caught - we have no idea how many people have gotten away with similar crimes

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:33 (twelve years ago) link

...or are currently getting away with highway robbery

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:34 (twelve years ago) link

this shit is why i have a hard time reading fiction

i gasped really loudly last night when i discovered that this person http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Schmitz and this person http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kay_Letourneau were blood relatives.

OMG

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:37 (twelve years ago) link

maybe that was big-revealed at some point during her many years in the spotlight, but if i ever knew that factoid i had completely forgotten it. that is a pretty good factoid!

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:38 (twelve years ago) link

Nick, I'm sure there are plenty of people have gotten away with their embezzlement, but it seems to me like eventually the work of your average thief will show. This is all my speculation about shit I'm no expert about, but still. How many of the people who are never caught get away with their crimes b/c of bad oversight rather than because they made sure they wouldn't get caught.

People aren't for comparing, they are for loving. (Je55e), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:45 (twelve years ago) link

I think this sort of thing happens a lot in small IL towns, although maybe not to this scale. I also wonder the extent to which this kind of things happens at higher levels of government.

Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:52 (twelve years ago) link

i'm just saying, maybe that's how they justify it to themselves. also almost everyone thinks they're smarter than most other people. but i am also fascinated by people who think they will get away with crazy huge crimes like this

i am kind of obsessed with this story and want to make a movie about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst (there have already been documentaries about it but i want like a narrative story movie)

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:52 (twelve years ago) link

(though crowhurst i think realized he wouldn't get away with it by the end)

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:53 (twelve years ago) link

I would watch your movie, n/a.

Polly biscuit face (carl agatha), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:54 (twelve years ago) link

this is a really good book that i have and can lend to people if they are interested
http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Voyage-Crowhurst-Nicholas-Tomalin/dp/0070650845

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:55 (twelve years ago) link

did you guys already know that evil conservative john schmitz and mary kay le tourneau were father and daughter?

Letourneau was born Mary Katherine Schmitz in Tustin, California, to university professor John G. Schmitz and chemist Mary Schmitz.[3][4] She was known as Mary Kay to her family and called "Cake" by her father.[5] She was the fourth of seven children, raised in a "strict Catholic household."[5][6] When she was 2 years old, her father began his political career and successfully ran as a Republican for a seat in the state legislature.[6] He held positions as a California state senator and U.S. Congressman and, after changing parties, he ran for president as an American Independent Party candidate in the 1972 U.S. presidential election.[7][8]

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:59 (twelve years ago) link

Her story is BAZONKERS.

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 14:59 (twelve years ago) link

i had never heard of john schmitz before

congratulations (n/a), Thursday, 19 April 2012 15:00 (twelve years ago) link

we were talking about people who were on the take, and that guy -- that guy has a son, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schmitz

Joseph Edward Schmitz (born on August 28, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)[1] is an American lawyer, former Inspector General of the Department of Defense and a former executive with Blackwater Worldwide, a private contractor providing security services to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. military.

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 15:02 (twelve years ago) link

So I was reading a book about Blackwater, and here comes Mary Kay LeTourneau! That was a great moment.

Anyway, I love all of these stories. You guys are on top of it.

two overweight dachshunds with three eyes (La Lechera), Thursday, 19 April 2012 15:04 (twelve years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.