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

great pic of a bear at the brookfield zoo getting a cool-down treat of a watermelon encased in ice

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2011-07/291367080-20110934.jpg

Yeah okay Cubs fans sporting those fucking "Horry Kow" Fukodome t-shirts with the slant-eyed caricatures on them really take racism seriously. I mean, yeah no question the Phillies fans were assholes but come on, Chicago is not exactly post-racism enlightenment central.

Well lets not try to paint all fans of either team with the broad brush of racism. Should Cubs fans not stand up to racist shit like that because there might be boneheads with those t-shirts somewhere in the ballpark?

They should definitely stand up to racist shit, but I agree with Jenny that the comment "In Chicago we take racism seriously" is a bit disingenuous.

Btw, has ILX discussed the "Out of Africa" wedding yet?

Well, yeah, that was a boneheaded comment to make anywhere in the USA, tbh. But I applaud people that might stand up to it.

I have no idea what that is. Am I better off that way?

Philadelphia sports fans must feel a lot of pressure to live up to the stereotype of Philadelphia sports fans.

What is the Out of Africa Wedding?

you guys:

http://i.imgur.com/Y5lOC.png

you guys: that is a really shitty picture for some reason >:(

A coworker is claiming that it is 104 degrees outside right now.

http://i.imgur.com/5RD5P.png

Your coworker was referring to the temp of her popcorn.

snow plz

lol xp

I was at a sold-out show at the barely air-conditioned Beat Kitchen full of sweaty metal dudes. It was very hot and very loud.

Actually there were more women there than I expected.

Yeah, I'm not saying "Cubs fans are all racist and cannot be upset at racism." I'm saying her comment that we take racism seriously in Chicago is not based in reality and annoys me.

The Out of Africa wedding: White English ppl went to South Africa for the COLONIAL AFRICA themed destination wedding.

Yep, was better off before I knew.

Were you at Harvey Milk? Wishing I would have gone.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/282193_595836124505_203404218_31915724_5922809_n.jpg

yeah it was Harvey Milk. they were awesome. very loud and very tight. i was psyched they played "Anvil Will Fall" (which I linked on my FB page last week), which was surprising because 1) it's off their first album and 2) it's really weird - it has an extended part in the middle with dude singing over prerecorded symphonic strings. also saw La Lechera fave Yakuza, but i wasn't really in the mood for something that metal so I couldn't get into it.

I like "Anvil Will Fall" a lot, had no idea they'd played it live recently. I want to get out to a show soon before the baby comes, but I've been so busy between work and getting the nursery ready that I'm exhausted at the end of the day.

that was only like the second or third show i've been to since the baby was born. i only go see shows by ornery old dudes now (bill callahan and harvey milk)

when is your baby due again?

Still 90 degrees out there.

Jenny, I was driving on Diversey from Western and Diversey was a parking lot. Turned out that the traffic signals at Lincoln and Divsersey were out. Power was out for many blocks on side streets, too. That sucks.

That was addressed to Jenny, but the rest of you can feel free to read it.

I was super scared coming home from class because all of the lights were out. We still have power.

I don't think we have ever lost power in Chicago.

I might have at the place on Argyle, but I don't know.

If my power were out, Brenda, Eddie, and I would be making some calls to find a place to stay for the night. It's still 90 degrees. Actually, I'd probably pack us up and go stay at the office.

September 13th is the dude date.

I feel really fortunate to never have lost power for more than an hour or two in the 11 years I've lived in the Chicago area. It seems like nearly everyone I know has some horror story about days without it. We used to lose power for about six hours every day like clockwork in Jul and August when I lived in Central Illinois. The system could just never handle too many people with their AC cranked or something.

When I started my current job in 2007, my office would lose power pretty frequently - the bosses said it happened every couple of months. It got better, though it still goes out briefly here and there.

Wow, this is pretty wild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPFZQWg1SUo&feature=player_embedded

interesting comments from the person who uploaded the video:

imagine if your balls were in the car's place.....
alec1234ful 59 minutes ago 10

@alec1234ful major cum
ErectionCanada 55 minutes ago 8

I feel really fortunate to never have lost power for more than an hour or two in the 11 years I've lived in the Chicago area.

I could have said the same before last week.

we lost power at our old apartment for a few hours at night during another heat wave. i remember sarah and i laying on the floor in our living room with all the windows open, trying not to melt, while all our neighbors went outside to yell at each other about not having any power.

Yeah, I would have had to go elsewhere to sleep but I don't know what I would have done with the cats. It takes two of us to wrangle them into their carriers on a good day. I can't even imagine the blood, sweat, and tears that would result from me trying to stuff the cats into carriers at 9:30 at night after I've been working since 8 that morning, without dinner, and in a 90+ degree house.

Jesus. Thinking about that kind of makes me want to vomit.

Sorry for the pitiful whining. I've got some Summer SAD going on here so I'm not good at keeping my wussier emotions in check.

Kr and I have a coupon for a free night at a hotel in Evanston, so we tried to cash that in last week when the power was out, but there weren't any vacancies, so we just sucked it up and slept in the living room, where there are at least windows. IIRC, it was around 80 when we went to bed, but it dropped about 10 degrees after midnight, so it wasn't too bad.

http://images.instagram.com/media/2011/07/21/5a3810f37e984320a4224f86ca6c3a5b_7.jpg

Hilarious highlight of my trip, a Chicago themed bar in Hong Kong.

Jenny, I feel you. I am learning* to deal with the heat, but Tuesday while I was driving J0hn's car with no A/C, the weather forecast made me feel anxious and panicky.

My place is small, but if any of you ever need A/C, you're welcome to come over and spend the night. You can sleep on my bed and I can sleep in the walk-in closet.

*You've heard it a million times from me, but it's been so much harder dealing with summer in Chicago than in NC or even New Orleans because we walk so much more here. Also, apartments without central air are way common here.

xp - !!! Wow!!

Dan Ryan.

xp yes. I feel anxious and panicky about the weather, too. Or about the prospect of losing power now.

Wait, I mistook him for one of the imprisoned governors. Still, Dan Ryan is not the most famous Chicagoan ever.

In New Orleans when my A/C went out, I stayed in a hotel for 2 nights.

That's George Ryan, but even so. That's such an obscure Chicagoan to name your Chicago bar after. Nobody outside of the greater Chicago metro area knows who the fart Dan Ryan is. And half of the people think he's just a highway.

To be fair, it could be ANY Dan Ryan. I'm sure there are millions of them. Especially in Hong Kong.

Every morning I listen to NPR while getting ready, and every morning S@r@h J!ndr@ says "___ minutes Fullerton to Nagle" and every morning I think "NAGL."

I like the idea, though, that the bar could have murals of Dan Ryan, Eisenhower, and Barbara Eden.

my name is actually dan ryan

OK, this sad gay kid who was in an improv class with me just added me on Google+. I'm not sure if he's purposefully going for Gay Paul Giamatti, but that's what his profile pic looks like.

hay guyz

if one were moving to chicago and wanted to acquaint oneself with the music venues worth knowing in rapid fashion

what places might be essential?

ty

hoos

Empty Bottle #1 imo

Who r ur 3 favorite bands to see live HOOS

One thing to do would be to find bands you would want to see, google 'em and Chicago, and see where they've played.

I was at Darkroom last night for the first time ever--good sound there.