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

does anyone want to get together and hang out and drink on friday or saturday?

Kr and I are going to some Gapers Block party on Friday, but I'd be up for hanging out on Sat.

I think I may go to the Gaper's Block thing, too. It looks fun. I haven't seen some of those people in a while.

i've been on the megabus enough to accept it for short (< 8 hr) distances but reject it for anything longer. fewer degenerates than greyhound, for sure, but an 8 hour bus trip is still an 8 hour bus trip.

Website says MEM - CHI is 9 to 10 hrs, which is at least as fast as Amtrak, for 1/10th the price. Plus I have my choice of day or night travel; train is overnight only, both ways. Will definitely consider it for whenever I'm able to come up.

We have kind of a busy weekend but I am not ruling out socializing on Saturday.

i don't really know what i'm doing this weekend, kinda depends on lots of things. also, i just dropped a stapler on my foot and i may be crippled.

'rents are in town this weekend for my mom's birthday, dunno if you guys want to hang out w/ them

I might be interested. I'm going to sleep over at Courtney's house on Friday night.

Weird

We're going to be assembling the last of her Ikea furniture.

Jeff, I used to sleep over at your house all the time. And once even in the bed w/ you and Jenny. Now that was kind of weird.

Then we all grew up!

Courtney considered getting a handyman to put together her Ikea stuff, and I poo-pooed the idea, but I have since partially changed my mind. If you're just getting a side table or some meatballs, it would be silly to hire someone, but she bought an enormous wardrobe system and a couple other complicated things and it was HORRIBLE. It wasn't that difficult, but it was rrrrrreally tedious and ridiculously time-consuming. She should have hired someone.

I guess you're going to be all tuckered out from the ikea assembling. Makes sense.

If I thought I could make a living wage at it, I would totally go into the business of putting IKEA shit together. I love doing that.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/images/products/pax-wardrobe-with-sliding-doors__0102041_PE246432_S4.JPG

It's this thing. Sliding doors.

I don't mind it sometimes, but sometimes I just want have furniture, not a furniture kit. Especially right after moving, when you have a million other things to do.

I'm with you, Jon, it's like LEGOs for adults.

Like I am irrationally excited by my dad's idea of buying some plans and building a garden shed for my mom's bday present.

I like DIY projects a lot. My apartment is basically a workshop. I'm about to saw my Ikea TV stand in half!

I like putting Ikea furniture together, too.

jvc, how's the baby?

He's pretty awesome (as in the literal use, I can frequently sit and stare at him in awe). Still working on getting a good sleep schedule going, but otherwise doing really well.

I actually don't mind putting together IKEA furniture. Because I am spatially kind of dumb, it usually takes me longer than it would take other people, but as long as the directions aren't totally incomprehensible, there's a methodical satisfaction in it.

The other thing we learned about Ikea is that delivery is only $59 to most places in Chicago! K8e offered to drive to Ikea. I would buy her a full tank of gas and still come out way, way cheaper than getting an IGo. It was a really good thing that Courtney got delivery b/c that wardrobe would have been impossible for the two of us to carry up 4 flights of stairs. We would have had to open the box and carry it up in pieces.

big interesting article about IKEA and how scary it is as a company in the newest New Yorker btw

putting together our IKEA crib was a pretty shitty experience. having to individually hammer in each slat with stupid plastic "nails" that didn't fit in the holes they were supposed to go into (eventually i used a screwdriver to widen the holes), paranoid the whole time that if i messed something it up it would collapse and kill our baby. hasn't happened so far.

You should of waited until you were done assembling it before putting it over the baby. Less chance of collapse.

a lot of the article is about corporate indoctrination at IKEA and how the people who work there are weird and kind of brainwashed into "the IKEA way", but also the head of the company had Nazi connections (like he was in some Swedish youth Nazi group) and their finances are very mysterious, they're technically classified as some kind of special company that is part charity but very little of their money actually goes to charitable purposes.

I'll get to that article once I catch up with the last few weeks worth of New Yorkers. Yeah, putting together a crib is pretty nerve-wracking, because its one thing to know if you screw up you'll dump your socks on the floor, another knowing you baby will be sleeping in it.

i LOATHE putting together ikea furniture, but i am a very imprecise and sloppy person

Do you have to be a paid subscriber to read it online?

Also, before I forget, I wrote "should of" on purpose as a joke in the whole not funny joke post.

probably because it was a long article

however, this article is free, and is one of the best recent things from the magazine: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/09/26/110926fa_fact_hessler

Put me in the hate assembling column. My desk was infuriating.

probably because it was a long article

sorry, this was supposed to be "probably not, because it was a long article." sorry for any confusion. sorry.

Yo, pals. I'm going to this, join me if you want.

Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer
http://www.illinoisbeer.com/

I wanted to go last year, but it sold out before I could get tix. Revenge is mine.

PROBABLY NOT SPOILERS, BUT BELOW I TALK ABOUT LOUIE.

Holy shit. I'm watching the episode of Louie that you posted about, Jenny. The one with him and the single mom and him talking in the park. I am dead from laughing. And the when the news anchor in the dream froze her smile and and changed expression over 30 seconds - that was brilliant.

I am so gratified!

But seriously. Wouldn't you like to climb on his head and rub your dirty bush all over his glasses?

Would someone who follows baseball tell me what the big deal was in the world of baseball last night? My twitter feed was blowing up but nobody says what happened.

Also, is it time for a new thread? It's fall, I'm kind of over this thread title, maybe it's long I don't know.

The Twins won their last game of the season to avoid losing 100 games.

Aww! Good for them! (That was sincere.)

Something happened with the Yankees and whoever they played, too.

I think the Rays won against the Yankees and somehow mananged to get the wild card spot in the playoffs?

This post-season will be very sad, I can't believe the red sox didn't make it.

OH SNAP i can try and explain it but it might be complicated: basically a month ago the red sox and the braves were thought to have pretty commanding leads in their respective divisions, with people considering them almost certain locks to make the playoffs. in the past month, both teams essentially collapsed, losing tons of games. because of this, the tampa bay rays tied the record of the red sox earlier this week, but the rays had to play the (very good) yankees for their last three games, while the red sox got to play the (very bad) orioles.

before last night's game, the two teams were still tied. if they both lost or both won, they would have had to play a tie-breaker game today to see who got the wild-card spot for the playoffs. last night, the red sox took a 2-0 lead over the orioles, while the rays simultaneously fell behind 0-7 against the yankees, so people were pretty sure the red sox would get the wild card spot. however, the orioles came from behind and ended up beating the red sox 3-2, mainly thanks to some terrible defensive playing by the red sox. at the same time, the rays managed to score six runs in the eighth inning, then hit a tying home run in the 9th inning with two outs to tie the game at 7-7. the game went to extra innings and then evan longoria of the rays hit a home run in the 12th to win the game against the yankees, taking the rays to the playoffs.

nate silver wrote a piece in the NYT showing that the red sox's collapse in the past month was possibly historically the worst collapse in baseball ever.

meanwhile, the same thing was happening somewhat less dramatically with the braves and the cardinals. the braves fell apart and the cardinals ended up moving into the playoff spot on the last day of the regular season (yesterday).

there was the possibility that there would have had to be two tie-breaker games today before the playoffs could start, which has never happened.

i feel like that was not a good explanation.

shorter version: two different teams simultaneously and in unlikely fashion came from behind to barely make it into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season by winning vital games in dramatic fashion. like in a movie.

this might be clearer, if anyone still cares: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/222030/20110929/tampa-bay-rays-st-louis-cardinals-boston-red-sox-atlanta-braves.htm

ha ha that shut everyone up.

I'm really glad I read this i feel like that was not a good explanation. before reading your long post.

i feel like that was not a good explanation.

No! That was perfect. Well-written and very clear.

That's kind of a baseball stats/historian geeks dream right there. I can't wait until somebody makes a sports documentary about it.