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

It's cottage cheese made of octopus milk.

I don't think octopus is DISGUSTING, I just am put off by the texture.

Did you know that Radio Shack has made a not very successful attempt at re-branding themselves? They're calling themselves "The Shack" now. But they are also still calling themselves Radio Shack. I think Copyranter mentioned this one time - it's a really crappy re-branding, not only b/c...."The Shack"?? Come on. But because most of their signage and ads still say "Radio Shack," with "The Shack" tossed in occasionally to try to sound edgy. Does not work.

They should just go away.

The Shack was very handy today when I needed a coax connector. I don't know where else I would have gotten one.

Radio Shack, probably.

I guess there isn't much of a market for folks buying radios anymore.

Wrote my boss this morning to say I'd be a little late. I was 15 minutes late. He's still not here. Shoulda kept my email to myself.

Little-known fact of the morning: Fleetwood Mac Tusk is an unstoppable pop record.

my meeting this morning was cancelled so i am trying to figure out how to motivate myself to do work at home.

I think I just deeply offended a co-worker by telling them that not only will I not be attending Taste this year, I haven't attended it over 16 years and think its pretty much one of the worst things about summer in Chicago. I'm probably on some ant-American watchlist now, judging by her reaction.

Where is she from? What was her reaction? She probably would have murdered me if I gave my standard reaction. Not that I act too horrified or haughty, but still.

I suppose my standard reaction would be something like, "You know, Chicago has as many great restaurants as any city in the world. You don't have to go to the fucking State Fair."

I really liked the ToC when I was a kid, but when I went a few years ago (after work one day), it seemed vaguely depressing.

I guess when I was a kid, tempura was exotic.

ugh god why would anyone want to subject themselves to that kind of crowd in the middle of the hottest part of summer when you could get the same shit any time you wanted the rest of the year

if i wanted a defrosted piece of cheesecake, i could go to dominicks anytime

^^^ This is pretty much exactly what I feel. This woman is from Chicago, but she is one of those weird lifelong Chicagoans that is oddly thrilled by all the most touristy stuff. She loves Navy Pier a whole ton too.

i can see teenagers enjoying it because it's good boy/girl watching season, lots of opps to meet kids from schools where everyone doesn't think you're a dork/loser/whatever
but who wants to be around all of those teenagers?!

xp So apparently she LOVES the state fair vibe. I guess there's hicks everywhere.

I actually think comparing ToC with state fairs does them a disservice. I love rural state fairs and third rate touring acts and butter cows and winning a Korn coke mirror for breaking balloons with darts.

Taste of Chicago is some horrid shit. Dan M OTM. Also, stop clogging up the trains with your moist, tank top clad torsos, you ToC attendees.

lol @ Korn coke mirror. Oh, I know very very well of which you speak.

I had a Van Halen coke mirror. You're making me wish I still had it.

And some coke.

I had a Prince coke mirror! It was a prize possession in college. Are feathered roach clips still big fair prizes? I had a billion of those.

My brother won a Cheap Trick coke mirror at a fair when he was about 10--the kind with the Cheap Tricky typewriter logo overlapping five or six times. Mom wasn't pleased, explained to us what a cheap trick was.

I think one of the moments when I realized my innocence was gone forever was the year the fair came to town and I now knew (though I can't pinpoint the how and why) those were "coke mirrors" and not "awesome band logo mirrors".

I never put it together until five minutes ago. I'm enlightened and a little bit older and a little more disillusioned.

Was like this, but square:
http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/43/43213/cheaptrickroundblackpatch.jpg

Explaining what a "Cheap trick" is seems like TMI from your mom. Some things you need to figure out on your own.

there's always trash hanging out at the fairs
they got the roach clips in their hair

going to the county fair back home in the summer of 08 was one of the highlights in the run-up to Obama's election, amazing politicking going on there

Mom wasn't pleased, explained to us what a cheap trick was.

As opposed to what a coke mirror is?

one of the greatest fair coke mirrors I ever saw belonged to a kid in my class in 7th grade, it featured a drawing of an obviously fake Bart Simpson being crushed in the butt of a very large woman and included the tagline "Crack Kills"

I think one of the moments when I realized my innocence was gone forever was the year the fair came to town and I now knew (though I can't pinpoint the how and why) those were "coke mirrors" and not "awesome band logo mirrors".
yeah i just learned about these maybe 5 min ago, had no idea there was any innocence left in me but wonders never cease!

I actually think comparing ToC with state fairs does them a disservice. I love rural state fairs and third rate touring acts and butter cows and winning a Korn coke mirror for breaking balloons with darts.

OTM

xp - last summer I won a framed Indian-Wolf-Moon picture and my friend won a Lindsey Lohan coke mirror, which he gave to me. It didn't occur to me until just now how appropriate LiLo on a coke mirror is.

Now I want to collect coke mirrors from all my coked-up musical heroes. The Stones, Aerosmith, Miles Davis...

Is this really what they're called?! I seriously never knew this. Like, I had NO IDEA. I feel kinda disillusioned tbh.

Doing nose candy on the Bowie coke mirror.
Your girlie asked for some but I pretended not to hear her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTcjZzSlAM

xp - if i had to guess, i would say these are hold steady lyrics?

I forgot how funny that whole scene is.

Annie: "You never want to try anything new!"
Alvy: "How can you say that? Remember I said you and that girl from your acting class should sleep together?"

LOL

Good guess but it's the Beastie Boys. Off Paul's Boutique but I can't remember the name of the song.

Hold Steady lyric would be more like

We were doing nose candy
in the back of the van and she said man
that Bowie coke mirror is miraculous.
And I said baby we're going to be a band
as we drove into downtown Minneapolis.

A+

lol

btw the roach clips line I quoted was lftr pllr, which is like the hold steady but way better

blech

this is like a catalogue of things i don't like (aside from bowie and the city of minneapolis, and i guess roach clips about which i feel totally neutral)

I've never been to ToC, so I can't say if I would like it or not.

Nice, Jenny!

I'd like a smooth-jazz coke mirror. Spyro Gyra, or the cover of Aja.

I went to Taste once to see some friends who were playing with Robbie Fulks. Was near one of the entrances, so didn't have to go into the middle of it. Had some good soul food from somewhere nearby.

OMG STEELY DAN COKE MIRRORS WHERE DO I GET THEM

Did you know the c terminal in laguardia doesn't have a bar? What a travesty.

Shoulda flown into Newark. Just sayin'.

I have heard from multiple people that the Newark airport bar is very good