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

technically it's about legal rights but it could be expanded to cover what you're talking about.

I know. I know that page, even. I guess I'm talking about a tacit social contract, and the fact that I don't feel that I dishonor even that by catching people off-guard sometimes.

But on to other topics.

This book's title speaks to a thought that sometimes comes to me and troubles me for no particular reason.

― Je55e, Monday, October 3, 2011 10:31 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

god, Jesse, me too!

I read up on chin exercises yesterday after disliking a photo taken of me last week.

My default "uncomfortable with picture" pose is to give the photographer the finger.

I don't like taking posed pictures. And it's physically impossible for me to do a posed smile. I'm fine with good quality candida.

omg

Hahahaha

dyac

Just remember that the even year vintages are better than the odd years.

My default "uncomfortable with picture" pose is to give the photographer the finger.

Somewhere I have around 40-50 pictures of my coworker Tori, and I swear that about 35-45 of those are primarily of a big fucking finger in my face. Hey, I never wondered where I stood. :)

I had to google both "candida" and "dyac."

btw I cancelled my Chicago trip mainly because Kenan's chin scares me

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that…

lol

http://www.lamebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/pic3.jpg

Hey J, have you watched the Dentist/Tarese episode yet?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/8033118-418/chicago-area-expected-to-endure-worst-winter-in-nation.html

This is pretty much the major story arc of The Shield - http://www.suntimes.com/news/8032145-418/drug-dealing-killer-chicago-cop-stopped-dea-investigation-of-me.html

They should make a cop show about Chicago. It could be about a plucky police commissioner who wants to clean up city hall. Maybe the title could reference some kind of code of reciprocity between elected officials and police officers... naw. That would probably suck.

Hey J, have you watched the Dentist/Tarese episode yet?

I did. Louie was really creepy in that one; a little creepier than was good for either the comedy or the sort of higher-minded Issues in the ep.

Bc of conversation here I was expecting Tarese to be more of of a black stereotype (sassy, "MMMM-HMMM!"- saying, snapping, angry, etc) but she was more just an apathetic slacker cashier.

I have a lot of observations and questions about other particulars, but generally I would say it was fairly funny, and resistant to lazy stereotypes. The stalkery thing seemed to be in service of the Issues, but it was off target.

i am going to be in chicago for the late afternoon/evening of sat oct 22, flying out the next morning. i will be hanging out with another astro nerd so no fap this time (but maybe next time, i am going to west texas about 4 times/yr at the moment, and you have to go through ORD to get there). i know literally nothing about chicago. there is a place called the loop? i saw the dark knight? that is it. (1) where to stay? (2) where to go? we have pretty irreconcilable cultural tastes so cheesy touristy stuff is fine as the lowest common denominator. tall buildings? food that is done better in chicago than elsewhere? is downtown just a business district? accommodation budget is ~$150 each if you have specific hotel ideas. somewhere handy for public transport to/from ORD would be good.

there won't be much going on in the loop on a saturday, lots of the chain restaurants close up on the weekend i think, but there are two huge beautiful parks between downtown and the lake - millennium park and grant park - so you could go check out the frank gehry-designed bandshell, crazy huge sculptures, beautiful old fountain, and then go stare at lake michigan.

there is an el line that runs straight from ohare to downtown - if you want to get off somewhere in between you could stop in wicker park or logan square and eat exotic meats at a hip restaurant.

Jesse, I think that's what I loved about the performance by that actress playing Tarese--her personality seemed much closer to supermarket cashiers than anything I'd seen in a show or movie.

The stereotype I had issue with was the oversexed, fat black woman. See here - http://www.whattamisaid.com/2009/10/et-tu-amy-poehler-whats-so-funny-about.html?m=1

It's lazy comedy that uses black women as a punchline. Oh ha ha Louis couldn't harass his way into one woman's bed so he fucked the fat black chick. LO-friggin-L.

caek if you want to stay in a clever B&B with a toilet in the shower that's attached to a good bar with good food that's a quick train ride from the airport, check out Longman

Uhhh Longman and Eagle, I meant to say.

NM they are booked on Sat 10/22. Too bad bc they have $75/night rooms.

http://static.happyplace.com/assets/images/2011/10/4e8b47d741a66.png

http://www.seeklogo.com/images/T/The_Shocker-logo-E8F64BD9F6-seeklogo.com.gif

What's great is that it's not one of those "lol mistaken juxtaposition" things. That's the photo they intentionally ran with.

oy, thanks for checking jenny. i probably left booking a little late. seems there are basically no affordable hotels downtown that night.

i think the only thing i know i want to do is go up a tall building and stay near the blue line n/a mentioned.

the standard tourist recommendation is that instead of going up in sears/welles tower, you should go to the bar at the top of the hancock building, which has a better view, and you get a drink out of your $10 instead of just standing on an observation deck.

has anyone been in the trump tower? i have not yet set foot in that thing.

The stereotype I had issue with was the oversexed, fat black woman. See here - http://www.whattamisaid.com/2009/10/et-tu-amy-poehler-whats-so-funny-about.html?m=1

It's lazy comedy that uses black women as a punchline. Oh ha ha Louis couldn't harass his way into one woman's bed so he fucked the fat black chick. LO-friggin-L.

― pullapartsquirrel (Jenny), Wednesday, October 5, 2011 9:29 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

Oh, yes. I agree, that was bad, especially since the rest of the episode steered clear of that kind of thing.

What I wish is that edge-pushing, experimental, edgy artists would understand that it is that what would be genuinely fresh and edgy and new would be to get off the old standby stereotypes for easy laughs. Overall, I think Louis C.K. gets it and a lot of his stuff comedy issues-based and "risky" in a way that isn't reliant on shock value (hough one of his best-known stand-up bits is totally about shock value in using the words faggot, nigger, and cunt without being about much more than "What's up with these shocking words, eh?") or lazy tropes, but there are some misses.

(2) where to go? we have pretty irreconcilable cultural tastes so cheesy touristy stuff is fine as the lowest common denominator. tall buildings? food that is done better in chicago than elsewhere? is downtown just a business district? accommodation budget is ~$150 each if you have specific hotel ideas. somewhere handy for public transport to/from ORD would be good.

My go-to tourist attraction and tall building is The 95th floor lounge at the Hancock Tower. Drinks and food are expensive, but for the price of admission to the viewing deck there or at the Sears Tower, you get the view + a drink. Though now the Sears Tower has that freaky scary protruding glass box, so maybe that's worth checking out.

xp

thanks for the hancock pro tips. we're kind of an a clock too to avoiding what i assume will be bigger crowds at the sears would be good too.

is there something on in town the night of 22/10? i know it's a saturday but hotel availability seems unusually bad.

Second the Signature Room for your tall building needs, though you'll want a cheaper place for your serious drinking.

There are a lot of hotels in the Mag Mile area, which is near the Hancock. You'd have to transfer from Blue Line to Red Line but that's pretty easy to do. The problem is that the bars aren't as great in that area (though they are getting better - I feel like a decent beer bar has opened around there lately? Or is that wishful thinking?).

Best bet would be to find a place to stay in a 'hood off the Blue Line. Are there hotels there? Not SROs, presumably…

xp I have no idea what's up that weekend.

you could just get a hotel room out by the airport and then take the train into the city

Yeah, that opens a lot of options. Keep one of our numbers handy so you can call for assistance if you get wasted and can't figure out the trains back to your hotel.

It's Willis people.

i think we can just about stretch to the congress plaza in the loop, but that is basically the only place with rooms that night in the loop/mag mile afaict.

there don't seem to be many places along the blue line until you get right out to the airport where there are loads of options. was hoping to avoid that but looks like it may be the best option. roughly how much is a cab from downtown to o'hare?

nm i googled taxis

There are police STREET CLOSED sawhorses lying around on Diversey between my house and Halsted. The Chicago Marathon isn't going down Diversey, though, right?

I like how on the marathon map, all McDonalds on the route are listed.

It should only cross Diversey at Clark/Broadway. The McDonalds are listed because you can go in them and get "instant runner updates" on where people are.

we have a temp working the reception desk right now. he gives me an ironic little salute every time i pass the front desk and signed an email "be well."

http://gawker.com/5846927/bold-chicago-traders-launch-the-counter-revolution

xp I like him already.

he sounds like a frustrated college grad

Ugh, those signs.

Two people I know who sign emails "Be well," are my former therapist, and my frenemy Michael, who is in school to be a therapist.

I've always had mixed feelings abotu "All Best" as an end signature.

Jenny, Jesse, yes: I won't defend the end of the Louie episode, just the rest of it. Thinking of how race/class/education divides in comedy have been about the same from Diff'rent Strokes through Curb Your Enthusiasm, that story was so refreshing and recognizable.

The English (and people who work at Courtney's company) are lucky b/c they get to use "Cheers" as a sign-off. It's quick and unencumbered by subtext.

What's the 1% thing? I don't keep up with current events.