9 posts tagged “chicago”
last week, a football game was played in chicago between the chicago bears and the new orleans saints. forget that you know anything about sports for a moment. forget that you love the saints, or the bears for that matter. forget reggie bush, lovie smith, the monsters of the midway, mr. "i own dealerships" benson, etc.
just remember this: a little over a year ago, a hurricane went through the southeastern part of the united states. in the city of new orleans, over 1,200 people died. in some parts of the city, electricity is just being installed. people are living in trailers all over the country, and my family lost their livelihood. it was a national tragedy on par with that venerable event on september 11, 2001. and don't try to tell me that it isn't.
back to the game last week.
it was apparently funny for one fan to bring a sign to the game that read: "da bears: finishing what katrina started." not funny. it was apparently funny for the bar i was in to play "rock you like a hurricane," when the bears scored. not funny. on facebook, there are groups upon offensive groups about the bears = katrina. not. funny. at. all. the local press here has even written parallels. not funny, and somebody should be fired.
last week, a football game was played. emphasis on game. i was reading somebody from n.o.'s blog yesterday and she posed a good question. what if the terrorists had hit the sears tower on 9/11 and last week, saints fans held up signs saying "the saints: finishing what the terrorists started." would that be ok? wouldn't the national media call n.o. fans the worst in the world?
i'm happy for the bears. i'm happy for the city i live in. but this has been too much. i have never been more dismayed in the lack of compassion people have. all i can ask is that, if you see this sort of thing, report it. condemn it. tell the person that's doing it that it's not in the least bit funny, and demand that they stop.
she's a hell of an actor.
she lived in europe and new york city.
her favorite jason mraz song is 0% interest.
i had her at the ben harper poster.
she uses phrases like, "post-coital brunch."
she loves expensive underwear.
and knows how to flaunt it.
she loves nick hornby.
and the 'high fidelity' movie is in her top five.
she wants to watch 'city of the century'
but has never heard of 'awesome...i shot that!'
sometimes
when the wind is just the right speed
and the sun is shining in this one certain
particular way
she is unlike anything else around
this storied and astonishing place.
but
of course
i've been accused of thinking too hard.
i had it all figured out.
everything was going according to plan.
head straight.
shoulders back.
move forward.
and then.
then.
thoughts began to seep in
about gallery openings
and pumpkin patch hay rides
and state street dressed up for christmas
and snow
and beers in the afternoon
and joints in the evening
and sex in the morning.
ideas sprang into my head
about proposed art exhibits
and taking trips to cuba with new friends
and having another person's arm attached to mine
and snow
and all that other stuff.
it was all i could do to keep from dropping everything
for nintendo wiis
new speakers
concert tickets
and new pants
keep your head straight.
keep your shoulders back.
keep moving forward.
and let the other stuff
.
a building on columbia's campus caught fire tuesday. it has been abandoned for a while, but at one time it was something to be admired. i was working across the street in the computer lab when it started. we saw fire trucks, and we all started to smell like a campfire. when i got off an hour later, adam and i checked it out. the building was quite on fire, but it looked like they had it under control. i walked on. in the past few days, i've learned a lot about that building. it was built by louis sullivan, if you're not familiar with mr. sullivan, perhaps you've heard of the kid that used to work for him named frank lloyd wright. it was a steak house, too. a good one, apparently. but i walked by that place every day thinking, "man, homeless people are definately in there." turns out, there was actually a crew cutting scrap metal inside with torches. it caught fire again today, and the street it is on is now a "fall zone" because the believe it's coming down pretty soon. this is tedious because that section of wabash contains the kfc/pizza hut, dunkin' donuts/baskin robbins, subway, harold's fried chicken, and sushi resturant. these are pretty much the only restaurants on our campus. 'tis a dark day.
it rains every day now. rain may be too strong of a word. it is wet every day. that may be more accurate. you don't feel drops hitting you, and you don't run from it because it's never strong; but when you get home, you're somehow soaked. i've begun to actually wear shoes. and sweaters. and jackets. and beanies. and scarves, and sometimes gloves. and soon enough, boots.
the other day, kimmy and i watched the chicago marathon. y'know, the one where the winner fell at the finish line and busted his head open? when we saw him, he and six or seven other african men were way way way out in front of the rest of the pack. this was the eight point six mile mark. we were there for two hours and it was fridgid. we were both unprepared for the cold, and we pretty much died. we saw super heroes, mike ditka (who kinda is a super hero up here), a knight, thing #1, thing #2, a businessman, and a guy named gavin. i yelled, "my name's gavin, too" at him. i yelled a lot, actually. we had a good time, and it was a reminder that i live in a huge city, and huge events happen here.
tonight, a columbia professor attended rehearsal. at the end, she told us that she didn't have any specific criticisms for the actors. i smiled a little smile. then rob told me i was awesome tonight. i smiled a little bit more. sheldon comes next week. taylor and marissa have decided i'm going to a theatre halloween party with them tomorrow night. which...well...ha. the production is coming along, and i'm ready to perform for an audience again.
i wish i updated my vox more. but my internet sucks. and i hate work because i'm always so busy now. what, with the crunchgear, the homework, the learning of lines, and the actual work that i do in the lab. and, besides, the journal is of the past.
i have tickets for wilco, and sean lennon. i'm probably going to see madlib, peanut butter wolf, and j-rocc on saturday.
welcome to chicago, you old soul. it's time you arrived.
last night, druing rehearsal, i started getting a headache. all of a sudden, in the middle of a scene, my head started pounding. luckily, it was toward the end of the night so i just dealt with it and got on the train to head home. at lake, a thousand people got on. most of them had just seen a show, some of them were drunk. everybody was loud. i was trying to read. i tried to concentrate on the book, but the girl talking about how she pops her zits and lets them ooze on her boyfriend had my attention. she said he thinks it's gross. so do i. it's getting cold out.
when i got off the train, it was windy. and not the fun type of windy that i've come to like in this city, but the kind of windy that makes you want to kill babies, it's so cold. i got back to my apartment and blake wanted to go out. we did, after a little bit of rest head out. we went to a few different bars, trying to find something interesting going on in wrigleyville on a wednesday night. nothing was. we ended up at sheffield's for the longest amount of time. i was beginning to feel rested.
since school started, my schedule has been such that some days (like yesterday), i leave home at 6:30 a.m. and don't return until 11 p.m. it's uncomfortable. i don't like it, and it's beginning to wear on me. last night, it was alcohol that helped me deal with it. more alcohol than i should have consumed.
i woke up late this morning, another headache. i smoked pot to get rid of it, it helped some. i decided to take the bus to school. i decided to stand on lakeshore drive in nothing more than a sweater and wait for the bus to take me to school. thankfully, it was quick. i passed the newly colored trees. gone is green. yellow is in season. i passed north beach, the waves from lake michigan smashing against the shore on a partly cloudy day in which the sun barely made it through the clouds to reflect upon the water making it appear that somebody was shining a light on crumpled, animate tin foil, i passed the greenest grass i've seen in months. on michigan avenue, i passed mayor daley's workers repairing another small, artificial waterfall that lined the streets.
when i got to school, i remembered today was the anti-war rally. "no school, no work, the world can't wait, drive out the bush regime," the sign said. so i answered the call. and now i'm sitting in grant park, on my computer. observing the group of 100 or 150 people assembled to protest the war in iraq. there are volunteers wearing orange shirts, children with their parents, a man wearing the unmistakable mask of death and bearing a sign that says "stay out of iran." someone is chanting in a language i can't understand and there are black girls dancing in unison. i recognize one person. i am the only one writing anything down. there is a man with a hankerchief tied around his face, like he's prepared to do something that he doesn't want the cameras to know about. a world flag. a poster that says "leaders make wars, people stop them." do all of these people believe they are making a change? are they here just to have an excuse to miss school? like i am?
sometimes i need to remember that things aren't as bad as i want them to be. i am on top of my schoolwork, it's great having blake here, we really should get out of iraq. not being home all day and night is not the end of the world. neither is the war. sometimes i need to turn off the computer and join in.
sometimes, it all just becomes too much.
and i want to stop talking.
and i want to be alone,
because i'm so happy.
i finished reading burr today. it's an excellent book. gore vidal is wonderful, if you can sit through him.
my favorite thing about reading this book has been the use of our historical figures as characters. it is a kick in the ass to get off the train at randolph, after reading about george washington almost losing a battle, crossing washington street. the next block is madison, one of burr's biggest critics. but, ironically, burr introduced james madison to his future wife, dolly todd. another block down, is monroe. james monroe helped negotiate the louisiana purchase, which, really is an interesting story that questions early america's foreign policy. that jefferson, i tell ya. when i pass monroe, i know i'm getting close to school. i know i'm getting close to school because i finally get to burr's friends. the first is john adams, who burr (along with the infamous tammany hall) helped dramatically to become president. the next is jackson. president jackson was one of aaron burr's closest confidants and political ally. when burr was tried for treason, jackson was said to be one of his cohorts. because they were going to raid mexico together. the last street before getting to congress (a body which burr, of course, was also a member of) is van buren.
the main plot in gore vidal's burr surrounds a young author who is also burr's legal clerk. political forces are trying to convince young charles schuyler to find as much information as he can that martin van buren is the illegitimate son of aaron burr. he never gets definitive information, as history cannot, as to that fact. but he does recieve anecdotal evidence.
i had a couple of extra minutes today before work, so i sat in front of the 600 s. michigan building to finish the book. i'm on the section where burr dies. this book is such an intimate portrait, a finger opening my eye when i tried my hardest to close it, it speaks with the truth of history about a man who was acquitted of conspiracy against the united states. the man that killed alexander hamilton. he was one of the most connected historical characters and all we remember is his duel. and do we even know the details of that? i'm not paying any attention to the chapter titles or dates at this point. i'm reading too quickly. but something catches my eye. the day burr died. september 14th, 1876.
that's senseless. it is the 170th anniversary of his death.
i decided i would try to find a chicago connection, and maybe visit a statue or a plaque or a street in which his name would be enscribed. but, as far as the internet is concerned, aaron burr never visited chicago. if you were here, colonel, i want you to know something. i have no clue what you really did. my impression is that you were a man who hated politics but found it amusing, and so participated because you were good at it. you lived an amazing life, and for that, you should not be denied your place in history. you quite possibly intended to sieze new orleans at one point and separate the united states between the east and the west. you killed alexander hamilton and made him famous. you were either deeply loved or severely hated by every person that i read about in fifth grade. so i have this to say to you. i hope that death is as pleasureable as your life. i hope your life was as rich as i have read. and i hope, colonel, that history will not always ignore you.
/ohmanimadork
i don't write anymore. well, i do but i get about 2 sentences in and close the window. but, i'm not so sure that's really a bad thing. at least, not right now.
details:
.got a job at columbia, working in the computer labs. should be pretty nice, and relaxing. which should give me time to write for crunchgear.com. which should also be making me money. which would be pretty cool.
.finished classes at the museum and got my nametag. graduation is on thursday.
.my mom is coming in wed.
.ben harper is a golden god. i guess i already knew this, but it took the excitement of the girl next to me to show me that he is :).
.the jazz fest has started off with a bang. dr. michael white and his little family made me smile big. the charlie hunter trio did, too.
.i begin classes tuesday. orientation has been the freshmen and me. "oh...me? um...i'm 23. i live uptown. yeah, i went to school for 4 years and fucked around a lot so i got some certifications and i crapped around at a couple of jobs and i moved here and i live here now and i take classes at the annoyance."
.i bought the office seasons 1 & 2 & the special dvd. it's wonderful. i really enjoy watching it all the time now.
.i miss kristinjlinder, daniel & rafael o'halloran, micah learned, mia, austin, aubrey, my dad, cole, and a bunch of bands all the time and i listen to louis armstrong play, "do you know what it means to miss new orleans" all the time.
.i've uploaded a few pictures up to flickr. there are more to go.
this is a brief interruption from your regularly scheduled broadcast.
because i'm very happy right now. steve cooked dinner and i drank a bottle of wine because SOMEBODY left early. we played katamari damacy, then watched some king of the hill episodes, then watched some of the imagine documentary. it was great.
then steve and i had a lengthy conversation as to whether or not a moment like the recording of imagine will ever happen again...more specifically, will it happen in chicago while we live here. the general consensus is no...but perhaps. there is always a perhaps. we talked about how george did or did not play bass on 'how do you sleep' and ended the night when steve decided he would not be attending the air & water show...but would be attending 'little miss sunshine' tomorrow.
this city is bright and shiny. i ran home in the rain, through the throngs of drunks in wrigleyville and through the gay folk making their way from the cell block.
it was a good night.
