Check out our photos from our Labor Day trip.
September 11, 2007
September 10, 2007
The Bike
A while back, my dad and I picked up an old Schwinn bicycle at a garage sale. I don’t recall the exact price but it was practically pennies. The only thing we added were some new tires. For the past few years, the bike has been resting in my dad’s storage unit. Well, not anymore.
Before leaving Memphis, I grabbed the bike so I could ride it around Chicago. At first, the thought of riding a bike through Chicago traffic was a bit intimidating. But with some encouragement from my friend Trey, I was ready. So after working on the brakes and installing a new rear flashing reflector, I took to the road.
The new ride is a women’s Schwinn 1979 Collegiate 3. Yep, a female’s bicycle. The main difference between a men’s and a women’s bike is the crossbar. The fellow’s crossbar is straight while the lady’s slopes. Actually, there are advantage’s for a guy riding a female’s bike. The main one is that it’s easier to get on and off the bike. And there’s no threat of accidentally racking yourself in the crotch. Ouch!
Now, I’ve only been riding the bike for a few days but it’s already got me thinking why has it taken me this long to start riding a bike here. Not only is it quicker to get around but it’s a great way to see the neighborhood. As for the bike, I’ve given her a name: Lady Blue.
Check her out:
Labor Day
Well, we made it back home safely. It was great seeing everyone over the Labor Day weekend. I only wished that we had had more time to see all of our friends. Along with the obvious highlights of hanging out with our friends and family, the weekend was made even greater with a Redbirds game (thanks Adam), Wii introduction (thanks again, Adam), doing a show at WEVL, and a Shirley burger (thanks Brett).
(The infamous Shirley burger!)
August 30, 2007
Sox Sux
You may have noticed that there hasn’t been a Sox report in quite some time. Well, there is a good reason for that. Quite simply, I can’t stomach an entire game. Right now, we are the second worst team in MLB (how did we get to be worse than the Kansas City Royals?). Out of the last 10 games, we have lost 9. And there doesn’t seem like there will be any let up for the rest of the season. Believe me, September is going to be a rough one on the Southside. The team certainly has given up, including manager Ozzie Guillen who always seems a bit bewildered in the dugout, spitting out sunflower seeds in the dirt. Apryl says he looks drunk. Ugh. Here’s a recent quote from Guillen, “I finally have to admit it – we’re horse sh*t. I thought we were just playing bad, but, no, we’re horse sh*t”. At least he’s honest, I suppose. On the other side of town, the Cubs are tearing it up, making it to first place in the National League Central Division, even with the injured superstar Alfonso Soriano. Will this be the year the Cubs finally go to the World Series? Perhaps, if they can avoid the Cubs Curse.
As for the Sox, I still love `em. Go Sox!
(For a slideshow of all the Sox box score photos, click here.)
August 29, 2007
Home Sweet Home, Chicago
Today marks our one year anniversary of living in Chicago.
(Photo from Day 1)
August 28, 2007
The Triffids
Thanks go out to The World of the Weird Monster Show for not only playing The Day of the Triffids last Friday, but showing highlights from the recent Chicago horror convention, Flashback. I really wanted to attend, but I had to leave town for a two day shoot in Milwaukee. Anyway, this year’s Flashback brought back together a lot of the cast from the Nightmare on Elm Street films. I was never a huge fan of the series, but the original is still a classic in the genre. And I had a crush on Heather Langenkamp back in the day (remember Just the Ten of Us?). I think I would have just gotten the biggest thrill getting to say “hello” to the guys at the WOW booth. Hopefully next year.
As for The Day of the Triffids, some how I have gone my whole life without seeing this B movie classic. I suppose I always thought Day of the Triffids was more on the lines of a Z grade flick, but I was quite impressed with the acting and powerful story (based on the novel by John Wyndham). The set up is really fantastic as our hero, American sailor Bill Masen, is recovering from a surgery in London where his eyes are bandaged, thus causing him to miss out on a massive meteorite storm. The next morning when Bill wakes up he discovers that the meteorite storm from the previous night has left nearly everyone who witnessed the spectacle blind, except for a few lucky souls like Bill. Along with the blindness, the storm also seems to have had an effect on various plants that are now capable of uprooting themselves and feeding on humans. Bizarre, huh? The story continues as Bill teams up with a young girl, traveling through the countryside searching for a place that isn’t affected. The film reminds me of several others: 28 Days Later, Night of the Living Dead, and the Twilight Zone pilot, “Where Is Everybody?,” to name a few. Unfortunately, the killing plants are rather laughable and the ending is quite abrupt (much like the original War of the Worlds). The Day of the Triffids is one of those movies where a modern day remake could improve on the special effects but the charm of the original would sure to be lost in the translation.
An upcoming episode of The World of the Weird Monster Show is going to play Spider Baby, another “classic” that some how has eluded my screening eyes all these years.
Anyway, thanks WOW!
August 27, 2007
The 2007 Bucktown Arts Festival
Apryl and I had a good time at this years Bucktown Arts Festival, which took place practically right outside our door at the Senior Citizens Memorial Park this past weekend. The festival has been showcasing local and regional talent for the past 22 years and is run completely by volunteers. Last year when we moved up here, we missed the festival by one weekend. Which is probably for the best, since it might have been just a little too much to take in right away. Along with the art tents, there were poetry readings, theatre performances, live music, food, games for the kids, and even a short film festival.
And while it was extremely convenient and cool to be so close to large happening, I probably got the biggest kick out of the amount of folks that didn’t live in the neighborhood, but traveled out to Bucktown to attend our festival. And while there was a good crowd on Saturday, Sunday seemed to be twice as packed.
Along with window shopping, Apryl and I partook in watching the short film festival (our favorites were probably “Carmichael and Shane”, “Profiles In Science,” and “The Hideous Secrets of Hock Streedlefork”), watching performances such as an Aztec dance, and checking out bands like…
…The Diminisher, who certainly wouldn’t seem out of place on the Makeshift label.
And, of course, I had to pay a visit to my neighborhood pizza joint My Pie’s vendor station.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the recourses to buy any of the artwork, but we did have some favorite artists: Stan Piepenburg, Hiroshi Ariyama, and Dolan Geiman.
I did however get a cool t-shirt!
Check out all 17 photos from the weekend.
August 24, 2007
The Storm
Last night, we had a pretty massive storm that uprooted many trees and left over 140,000 homes and businesses without power. On top of that, there was some heavy flooding which caused a closing of I-94 towards Milwaukee, which I was driving on last night and was forced to make a detour. After getting back home and searching for a parking spot, I noticed a lot of damage right in our neighborhood, including a tree which had fallen on top of two vehicles. The photo above is of that tree minus the cars, which had already been removed that morning when I arrived on the scene with my camera. Unfortunately, more storms are expected for this evening.
Here are some more photos of storm damage I took in the neighborhood.
Update: Do Go BP/Amoco?
Well, it looks like the pressure worked, and BP has now decided NOT to go through with their plans of dumping more waste into Lake Michigan. Check out Apryl’s comment from the previous post for a news link from the Chicago Tribune as well a link to the official word from BP, which basically states that while they feel that there isn’t anything wrong with what they were about to do (in fact, amazingly, it wasn’t against the law), the proposed action would have “created an unacceptable level of business risk for this $3.8 billion investment”. Sounds more like an explanation to the stock holders rather than the public, but I’ll take it as a victory.
Also, check out the post from the Chicagoist website, which is sure to have a lively crowd leaving comments.
August 21, 2007
Don’t Go BP/Amoco
During the Pearl Jam show at Lollapalooza, Eddie Vedder introduced a new song that he said was going out to their friends at BP/Amoco. Such a statement created a uproar of boos from the audience. You see, BP (British Petroleum) are preparing to dump 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of industrial solids from an oil refinery in Indiana into Lake Michigan. Every day! Needless to say, folks up here are a little upset.
For a long time, I sought out BP because I believed them to be more environmentally friendly as well as less dependent on oil from the Middle East. Now, I find myself avoiding it. And perhaps you should to. At least take a look at the Protect Our Lake website or listen to the radio ad. And if you find yourself strongly against BP’s future plans, there is an online petition.
It should also be needless to say that Mr. Vedder was being facetious. The song turned about to be called “Don’t Go BP Amoco”.