Chicago MMXII

Thanks, friends! Happy thanksgiving to youse, too!

Happy birthday happy thanksgiving. I'm eating a ton of chocolate.

Happy days from backwoods Ohio.

Aye aye aye the family. What is it abound hereditary or legal ties that makes people so nerve-grating??

Imma brag here for a sec:

For me cranberries are indispensable with turkey, but the rest of the family dislikes decided to forgot them this year, so I fashioned cranberry sauce from what I could find at the little gas station: Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail (made a reduction out of it), strawberry jam, and the sour coating from Sour Patch Kids. Unanimous agreement that it tasted like the real thing.

that's gross

+ back in chicago
- our heat isn't working and no one's going to fix it until tomorrow probably

Do u need space heaters or anything?

Thanks but we'll be ok til tomorrow. It's nippy in here but not freezing, and we have a space heater in evie's room.

Bake something.

for you carnivores: http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/11/26/burger-sensation-shake-shack-rumored-for-chicago.php

also: coyotes at wrigley field http://deadspin.com/5963323/drawn-by-the-scent-of-death-and-decay-coyotes-prowl-wrigley-field

I went to Shake Shack this summer in NYC--they've pretty much perfected a quick-burger experience. Like Five Guys, not worth a road trip or anything, but definitely a good option if it's in a convenient location.

Hello. There are a lot of Octavia Butler Kindle books on sale on Amazon today.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-emanuel-on-cta-increases-not-fare-hikes-chicagoans-can-choose-to-drive-20121126,0,793097.story

Is our mayor the biggest asshole ever?

Yeah, pretty bad. Plus thr South Side will have all those red line stations closed at the time the hikes kick in.

pretty douchey

I'd be less irked about the price increase if they weren't canceling the Lincoln bus, the fuckers.

Total douche.

"You can drive to work" has a whiff of Romney's "You can borrow money from your parents."

Yeah. Very "Let them eat cake!"

Ugh.

I mean, he's saying "if you think this is bad, consider the worse alternative," but he's still a shit.

I hate to even bother with the distinction between what he said and how it was spun, but the straight reality is bad enough.

Chicago's 16 most iconic dive bars:
http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2012/11/27/chicago-dive-bars.php

(I've been to 12.)

Good old Rossi's.

10/16 for me, though I'm betting there are some really great bars that didn't make the list. Which is probably for the best, actually.

hey y'all
bill orcutt playing at MCA 6pm tonight, free

I question their definition of dive bar.

Really. How is Matchbox even remotely like a dive?

The mutiny, ha. World's largest urinal.

Just saw bill orcutt majorly upstaged by the crowd waiting to see the fashion blogger :-/

He was v good too -- my brain feels cleansed by that performance. Did not stay to see the blogger because it's suppatime and I've had a long day.

In other news wow does this train reek.

So fucking exasperated by my record buying woes this year, I'm seriously considering giving up the hobby completely. Third time this year now I've ordered music directly from a band or label and it's never shown up. First time was from Matador, second was from the band Krallice, third an most recent from Thrill Jockey. And it's not like a delivery address problem because after the first couple issues I switched to having stuff mailed to work. I'm just pissed to be out over $70 so far with nothing to show for it and out a limited edition CDR that I can never get again. Fuck it all, tbh.

Btw, SUPER helpful that the phone number for the Loop post office that is listed everywhere, including the USPS site, has been disconnected.

Also helpful that no one answers the other number I found. Argh. Just, y'know, not news to anyone here I'm sure, but the US Postal Service has got to be one of the most worthless things on the planet.

Lets drink to that.

Taking the 90s "You don't want to look like you're trying" ethos to a new level.

Heavily. I just find it oddly fascinating that this "service" that feels so threatened by other, better delivery methods responds by just getting worse and worse with their customer service. I mean, yeah, THAT'S going to help keep customers.

The USPS really REALLY does not want you talking to local post offices or even talking to live representatives.

Unterstandably so, if you've dealt with 90% of them.

I am upset w/ the PO right now b/c the building I work in had the most awesome delivery person ever - not just good at her job, but willing to go the extra mile in a lot of ways - and national-level management reassigned her and gave us a POS who is not used to commercial routes, so she is fucking up absolutely everything. And she literally flings our mail down the hall toward our suite's door. She's afraid of dogs, so she won't come inside, which is FINE, but she doesn't even bother setting the mail down by the door.

Our former carrier's supervisor pushed hard to keep her on her route, but national management thought they knew better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Yn7kCx2zY

hi

i wonder what band this is and if it's someone i've heard of

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/muc/3441555461.html

Are you planning on applying for that sweet guitarist gig? I'd love to know who that is, though probably nobody I've ever heard of. "acclaimed noise rock trio"!

i browse through craigslist musician ads occasionally just in case i find the perfect band to play with but i never do, also craigslist musician ads are pretty depressing.

I'd like to think that it's Shellac replacing Steve Albini, and that all of the facts that don't fit with this scenario are merely red herrings to throw us off the trail.

Nick: you and Sarah and Rachel and I should form a boring couples band together. I'm only sort of joking. It doesn't really have to be boring.

I was going to guess U.S. Maple for the Craigslist band, but I don't think it totally fits.

i don't think sarah has much interest in playing music these days but i'll mention it to her. i need to find a new music situation (not going to be doing any @dvance b@se stuff in the near future because he's started doing solo shows instead of full band shows)

u.s. maple was a four-piece. i would love to be in us maple though it would be very intimidating