Chicago: They paved a fetid swamp/and put up a parking lot

when we meet at arbys to talk about movies can we also discuss our appreciation of the song "body count"

My little weather widget tells me it's 94 degrees out, but it "feels like" 92. Well isn't that just so goddamn comforting.

It's enough to drive a man to drink a Jamiroquai.

I'm sure it's like 72 in front of that fountain.

You're making fun of me. I have this incredible fifth sense about this kind of thing.

lol, which of the normal ones did you give up to be able have Fountain Sense?

sorry, excessively snarky

Also not getting my joke.

Is your fifth sense kind of like Taco Bell's fourth meal?

I don't have a fifth sense. Pretty fucking insensitive, folks.

ugh ugh ugh why why why did I accidentally scroll far enough to read a comment on a trib article?!?!

first comment under a story about increased police presence downtown:

This is not a police shortage ~ it is black gangbangers being criminals! I don't care if they do not have jobs - other ethnic groups are experiencing the problem of 'no jobs' and they are not going out beating and stealing from people.

I AGREE ~ CHARGE THEM WITH HATE CRIMES AND SEND THEM TO PRISON! It is time to take our City back! Better yet, I can't wait until the first person pulls out a gun and shoots these scumbags.

I mean, just tick off those racist dbag talking points: take back our city (check), blatant racism (check), other ethnic groups are better people (check), condoning violence (check).

Eliminationist rhetoric (check)

Ugh.

Sorry to kill thread with bummer comment. It was just one of those like o_O moments where I realized I will (thankfully, I suppose) ever truly be desensitized to the awful shit people will say on the internet.

So I was on a completely full bus at North & Clybourn, where a woman w/ a large sport-utility-type stroller wanted to board. The driver told she would have to close the stroller and hold the baby, or she could take the next bus, which was 4 min. away. She argued with him, then squeezed herself and the stroller into the cramped entryway and stayed there until the driver, a friendly and unduly polite older guy, put the bus in park and announced to the passengers that the bus would not move until the lady folded her stroller or got off the bus. She kept barking, "I have a baby in this stroller."

Then some guy next to me with a golf club commented that he thought there was about to be a flash mob attack.

oops - sorry, xp - jvc, I was careful not to look at the comments.

I had pizza with my friend and then walked home through Loyola Park and wow was it alive with people tonight. The little basketball court was especially busy -- there were two games going on at the same time and about 20 onlookers. I love my neighborhood sometimes.

I liked today's heat. Not too humid.

Looks like there was another group-effort robbery. This one at 3:45 on a Brown Line train near the Chicago Ave. station.

Hmm--another close call for me then.

I think we can all agree it's clear these flash mobs are targeting Eric. Eric, you have a tough decision to make. Continue to avoid them so that other people are attacked, or go turn yourself in for the greater good.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Note: the answer is to physically train in a remote location in the UP, gather your friends (preferably ex-military snipers, martial arts experts, at least one crazy computer hacker who will run the show from a remote location, and maybe a murderous supergenius psychologist turned good), formulate a complex plan, pretend to turn yourself in, and then defeat the Flash Mob once and for all.

or if it's a comedy, your normal physically/mentally average ragtag group of friends who *pretend* that they are martial arts experts, snipers, hackers, etc.

I will have a solo showdown with them in, and on top of, a Brown Line car.

A history of Chicago beach violence.

http://www.chicagomag.com/whet/oakst1917.jpg

Love that closing line, "And the proletariat still swarm".

swam! even better!

Oh man, my reading comprehension is shit, but I liked the idea of them swarming still.

i know - it works both ways!

this weather is making me so happy.

I love waking up to thunder.

In other weather-related news: the landlord came by and fixed our air conditioner. So happy.

I'm glad that it's cooled off, I'm just not looking forward to stepping outside into the rain. Which I should probably do now...

Flash flood mob

Remember when we were talking about the Abbey and how weird their programming is? When I was like "Richard Pinhas is playing there?" (I went to that show btw, and like 35% of the people there were clearly there by themselves. What a weird show that was. And short!) Anyway, I somehow got signed up for a newsletter, and they have the weirdest bunch of like "modern rock" music, some crazy goth bands, and this:

Sat 7/23: Kid A (Radiohead Tribute) Handsome Devilz (Smith's and Morrisey Tribute), Bubbles Erotica (System of a Down Tribute), Bring It Home Chicago (Zeppelin Tribute)

I mean...?

Coreyander, do you have central A/C? That would be fucking AWESOME, since you have free electricity!

"And the proletariat still swam" is fabulous.

xp...I mean, I'm fine with the mix, but yeh, very strange.

So, surprisingly good news about my property management company! Last night the hot water in my tub started dripping, and this morning at7:45, after my shower, it wouldn't turn off. I called the emergency number and they had it fixed by 9:00. And the emergency number is staffed 24 hours by an answering service that pages a maintenance worker.

Yeah, it's central. It is pretty great and the fact he fixed it right away makes me think maybe he doesn't hate us as much as we had imagined.

Central air, wow.

I fear our next electric bill, what with central air and a pregnant wife that likes the cold.

I miss the central air in our old apt, though our window unit set up works pretty well. I just hate peeing, showering, and cooking.

Also, jvc from what I know of hot-natured pregnant ladies, whatever it costs will be totally worth it.

I can't help feeling the same "well, lah-dee-dah!" attitude toward people with central air as I do toward people whose high schools had orchestras or swimming pools.

xp - Jenny, not complaining at all! I'll gladly pay more right now to keep her feeling comfortable.

i just had a long talk with my mom about my biological family and wow was it exhausting

I liked central air in our last apt but it was too loud.

Jesus more muggings on buses and trains now. One on the redline during the morning commute.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-man-mugged-on-l-train-on-near-north-side-20110609,0,2762075.story

Ok, not ON the redline, but at the Chicago station.

Central air is DELICIOUS if it's working properly. My parents' house in N.C. had a really shitty A/C system, so it would run all day long and still get into the 80s in the house.

Jenny, my brother and his family live in decent-sized 3 bedroom house that they cool with a single enormous window unit that keeps the whole house very cool and comfortable. It is a fucking monster though.

xp - ugh

We had $400 worth of work done on our central air in May but I'm pretty sure it's going to pay for itself before summer's out.

Ugh:

According to a community alert issued Tuesday, two similar attacks happened on CTA buses late Saturday evening and early Sunday: the one on Roosevelt and another in the 1300 block of South Racine.

In each case, eight to 15 teenagers got on the bus without paying and began hitting people. The teens made off with a cell phone and another electronic devices.

http://cdn1.iofferphoto.com/img/item/189/709/070/steve-mcqueen-and-levar-burton-in-the-hunter-8fdb0.jpg

Or

http://i580.photobucket.com/albums/ss243/Boogeymanreturns/Death_Wish_4.jpg