Saturday, June 11, 2005
If you can't take the heat (and you don't have AC) get out of your apartment as much as you can.
Hey thanks all for responding to my frustration that I was offering all these worldly insights and no one was commenting. I actually starting this blog in 2002, and posted an average of once every 8 months when I wanted a more cyberspace version of talking to a wall. I would not have started posting every now and then if it wasn't for Amy telling me she had a blog a few months ago. Because of that, I know the responsibility is on my shoulders to post something worth others commenting on, but I don't necessarily want to change the content of what I write to appeal to anyone other than myself. So that's my dilemma, and I've done enough grandstanding for thinking I have more than an audience of like 3 or 4 people, so moving on.
Even though I've resisted the attempt to get on a soapbox on this blog about how I'll all by myself in Chicago, Amy in a comment seemed to pick up on how all these great Chicago events that I'm recollecting involve me enjoying them alone.
Well, it's not a big deal, but for the record in order for future Jonahs questioning their likability, a fellow intern / coworker Aleksandra (interesting name, huh, she's from Poland!) invited me along last night after work to hang out at the Chicago Blues Festival. Having company is nice for those things except when you have to yell over the music to talk. I get a sore throat very quickly when I do that, although when I was at a loud bar for an afterwork get-together to say goodbye to the intern I replaced, I noticed that my voice carried well over the crowd without too much strain if I talked in a particular nasal register. Anyway, as is the case with things that are pleasant, there's nothing much more to add, other than it was nice to do stuff with somebody, especially since I was going to go the Blues Fest anyway, it just didn't register in my mind that I had enough of a rapport with anyone here yet to invite them to come along. There are advantages to doing some things on your own, the prime one being that you create and alter your own schedule at your own will.
Today was very eventful. I was to a new shul (synagogue you Gentiles) on the north fringe of Chicago. Other than the shuls along the Lake directly east and through very congested roads, this one was the second closest to my neighborhood. This Shabbat morning, the congregation was 1) much older than me, 2) the services were held in a basement chapel and not the main sancturary, and 3) it was a no-frills stick-to-the-prayerbook service. In other words its like most other non-Chicago Midwest synagogues I've attended, so it was very familiar. And the people that were below 55 were very happy to see some fellow younguns attend and introduced themselves to me and made me feel very welcome, which is what happens when you go to small synagogues. Inactive congregations have lots and lots of drawbacks, but that's one feature that makes attending them worthwhile. Although there was no one from age 20-40 there, the rabbi said he was putting together a young adult service in the future. I ended up passing of two of my business cards (don't think I'm all high and mighty, I got a discount from school), a record so far for any professional or social function.
The Blues fest was still going on this weekend, but that huge tourist-attracting event isn't enough for Chicago, no sirree. There was a large Book Fair which I attended but didn't buy anything, and then I decided to take a new (for me) CTA train line up to a Swedish heritage neighborhood called Andersonville, where there was your average weekly festival in Chicago with tons of tents, food, and stages with performers.
I have to mention this very funny/tragic thing. Andersonville borders or partially contains what is the most active and very visible gay community in Chicago. About a third or more of the crowd was noticably gay. Of all the types of vendors or organizational tents that you could imagine finding there, what would be the obviously most absurd and pointless given that gay people are everywhere? How about a U.S. Army info tent? Yep they were there. Now if you've been following the news you know that the military is falling tremendously short on their recruiting goals, so maybe they thought they have to show up everywhere to get that one recruit, even if they are wearing black leather shorts oddly tight for an American born-and-bred heterosexual. Still, I overheard some gay guys saying it was unusual that they were there.
On the other hand if they have to do blanket recruitment efforts at every public shindig (there was a much more elaborate "Army of One" setup at the Blues Fest with... a rapelling wall!!! YAY!) the good thing is that the soldiers manning the tents don't have to be over in Iraq or Afghanistan getting their limbs blown off or worst. So the more recruiters the merrier, regardless or maybe especially, because if their in bad locations and won't yield any results.
Awwww, what a bummer cynical post. :( Happiness will come out sooner or later.
night
Even though I've resisted the attempt to get on a soapbox on this blog about how I'll all by myself in Chicago, Amy in a comment seemed to pick up on how all these great Chicago events that I'm recollecting involve me enjoying them alone.
Well, it's not a big deal, but for the record in order for future Jonahs questioning their likability, a fellow intern / coworker Aleksandra (interesting name, huh, she's from Poland!) invited me along last night after work to hang out at the Chicago Blues Festival. Having company is nice for those things except when you have to yell over the music to talk. I get a sore throat very quickly when I do that, although when I was at a loud bar for an afterwork get-together to say goodbye to the intern I replaced, I noticed that my voice carried well over the crowd without too much strain if I talked in a particular nasal register. Anyway, as is the case with things that are pleasant, there's nothing much more to add, other than it was nice to do stuff with somebody, especially since I was going to go the Blues Fest anyway, it just didn't register in my mind that I had enough of a rapport with anyone here yet to invite them to come along. There are advantages to doing some things on your own, the prime one being that you create and alter your own schedule at your own will.
Today was very eventful. I was to a new shul (synagogue you Gentiles) on the north fringe of Chicago. Other than the shuls along the Lake directly east and through very congested roads, this one was the second closest to my neighborhood. This Shabbat morning, the congregation was 1) much older than me, 2) the services were held in a basement chapel and not the main sancturary, and 3) it was a no-frills stick-to-the-prayerbook service. In other words its like most other non-Chicago Midwest synagogues I've attended, so it was very familiar. And the people that were below 55 were very happy to see some fellow younguns attend and introduced themselves to me and made me feel very welcome, which is what happens when you go to small synagogues. Inactive congregations have lots and lots of drawbacks, but that's one feature that makes attending them worthwhile. Although there was no one from age 20-40 there, the rabbi said he was putting together a young adult service in the future. I ended up passing of two of my business cards (don't think I'm all high and mighty, I got a discount from school), a record so far for any professional or social function.
The Blues fest was still going on this weekend, but that huge tourist-attracting event isn't enough for Chicago, no sirree. There was a large Book Fair which I attended but didn't buy anything, and then I decided to take a new (for me) CTA train line up to a Swedish heritage neighborhood called Andersonville, where there was your average weekly festival in Chicago with tons of tents, food, and stages with performers.
I have to mention this very funny/tragic thing. Andersonville borders or partially contains what is the most active and very visible gay community in Chicago. About a third or more of the crowd was noticably gay. Of all the types of vendors or organizational tents that you could imagine finding there, what would be the obviously most absurd and pointless given that gay people are everywhere? How about a U.S. Army info tent? Yep they were there. Now if you've been following the news you know that the military is falling tremendously short on their recruiting goals, so maybe they thought they have to show up everywhere to get that one recruit, even if they are wearing black leather shorts oddly tight for an American born-and-bred heterosexual. Still, I overheard some gay guys saying it was unusual that they were there.
On the other hand if they have to do blanket recruitment efforts at every public shindig (there was a much more elaborate "Army of One" setup at the Blues Fest with... a rapelling wall!!! YAY!) the good thing is that the soldiers manning the tents don't have to be over in Iraq or Afghanistan getting their limbs blown off or worst. So the more recruiters the merrier, regardless or maybe especially, because if their in bad locations and won't yield any results.
Awwww, what a bummer cynical post. :( Happiness will come out sooner or later.
night
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
3 posts with no comments make Jonah a dull boy...
grrrrrrr
Anyway, high school chums, remember that enlightened Republican state we used to live in down on the bottom part of the U.S. map somewhere. Yeah, Oklahoma.
Well at the Tulsa Zoo, they've decided to put up a creationism display.
"Damn liberal secular humanist.... ZOOS!!!!!!!"... conservative theocons across the Sooner State must have thought to themselves. Seriously, don't people have better things to do? I guess since every TV show, even 7th Heaven with all the multiple marriages and pregnancies, is too offensive, the families that have advocated for a "fair representation of religions" at zoos must have real togetherness time making anti-zoo posters, organizing anti-zoo speeches, and working their darn-diddely-arndest to make something innocent and fun a matter of religious discrimination. Read the articles and read some fun statements, including a zoo employee describing how the process of RESEARCHING and constructing the creationism zoo exhibit will take over 6 months. A quicker way would be to take duct tape, put them over all the labels and animal behavior descriptions of every exhibit... and affixed each ducttaped panel with the same shiny new sticker that reads "GOD MADE THIS... MOVE ON".
Stupids.
Anyway, high school chums, remember that enlightened Republican state we used to live in down on the bottom part of the U.S. map somewhere. Yeah, Oklahoma.
Well at the Tulsa Zoo, they've decided to put up a creationism display.
"Damn liberal secular humanist.... ZOOS!!!!!!!"... conservative theocons across the Sooner State must have thought to themselves. Seriously, don't people have better things to do? I guess since every TV show, even 7th Heaven with all the multiple marriages and pregnancies, is too offensive, the families that have advocated for a "fair representation of religions" at zoos must have real togetherness time making anti-zoo posters, organizing anti-zoo speeches, and working their darn-diddely-arndest to make something innocent and fun a matter of religious discrimination. Read the articles and read some fun statements, including a zoo employee describing how the process of RESEARCHING and constructing the creationism zoo exhibit will take over 6 months. A quicker way would be to take duct tape, put them over all the labels and animal behavior descriptions of every exhibit... and affixed each ducttaped panel with the same shiny new sticker that reads "GOD MADE THIS... MOVE ON".
Stupids.
Monday, June 06, 2005
And now the rest of it.
Looks like the work week has started, so my weekend is drifting from my memory. But a quick rundown.
Saturday: Big art fair in Hyde Park (S. side of Chicago)--flash thunderstorm at said art fair and unique entertainment watching vendors quickly wrap up their tents and run for cover, all witnessed under the safety of an awning of course--cooked a turkey breast roast for the first time and it was edible--watched obscure 2.5 hours Brazlian movie Carandiru which had some amoral tones to it with criminals and police being equally good and bad, kind of like Sin City.
Sunday: Trip to Lincoln Square (a German heritage district) for a mini-Octoberfest thing--was confused about the items on the menu and decided to be pointlessly too shy to ask if their were pork intestines in the things other than bratwurst--I was kind of low on money anyway--typical lazy Sunday afternoon after that with a work to the local public square to get a way from my slowly heating up for the summer apartment.
There, that takes of it. I might have forgot something. Oh I listened to Dismemberment Plan's final 2001 album change which I ordered from half.com some while ago. Very nice.
Tonight, at Jonah Katz's Netflix Theater is Before Sunrise. Before Sunset got a whole lot of awesome reviews do I decided I'd better see it's predecessor before seeing #2. Anyone have any comments on other Richard Linklater movies (Dazed and Confused, Slacker, others I haven't seen yet)? Post em here!
Goodnight!
Saturday: Big art fair in Hyde Park (S. side of Chicago)--flash thunderstorm at said art fair and unique entertainment watching vendors quickly wrap up their tents and run for cover, all witnessed under the safety of an awning of course--cooked a turkey breast roast for the first time and it was edible--watched obscure 2.5 hours Brazlian movie Carandiru which had some amoral tones to it with criminals and police being equally good and bad, kind of like Sin City.
Sunday: Trip to Lincoln Square (a German heritage district) for a mini-Octoberfest thing--was confused about the items on the menu and decided to be pointlessly too shy to ask if their were pork intestines in the things other than bratwurst--I was kind of low on money anyway--typical lazy Sunday afternoon after that with a work to the local public square to get a way from my slowly heating up for the summer apartment.
There, that takes of it. I might have forgot something. Oh I listened to Dismemberment Plan's final 2001 album change which I ordered from half.com some while ago. Very nice.
Tonight, at Jonah Katz's Netflix Theater is Before Sunrise. Before Sunset got a whole lot of awesome reviews do I decided I'd better see it's predecessor before seeing #2. Anyone have any comments on other Richard Linklater movies (Dazed and Confused, Slacker, others I haven't seen yet)? Post em here!
Goodnight!
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Your typical Chicago weekend
Given that this will probably be an average Chicago weekend for me, I think I will be in good shape.
Friday: To flush work out of my system I left directly from the office to the South Loop, where Manifest, a semester-end festival for Columbia College, an arts university, was taking place. Galleries and outdoor music, and a free trolley between buildings that as luck would have it got a flat tire. Apparently some alumni / donors to Columbia were on the trolley because they were making loud remarks about how "their" trolley broke down. After a quick bite to eat (grilled fish sandwich) I took a bus over to the Alder Plantarium, where there was a special discount admission night. A docent suggested to me a special lecture which I attended, which was on astronomical hoaxes. The subject matter seemed extraneous to things of existence that interest me, but the speaker was humorous and compelling which made it enjoyable. I explored the planetarium exhibits, which are open late at night only once a month, and looked out the windows into the dark blue endless lake. If you don't know Alder Planetarium, is on this sort of mini-pier that juts on into the lake with the best skyline view in Chicago. There's a sidewalk path that takes you around the planetarium and at night it's kind of spooky. There were even a handful of singles and couples contemplating who-knows-what in the small trees under the grass near the rocks by the Lake (I'm trying to give you a picture of it, in a poetic way, but all I can give you are coordinates). Then at 9:00pm there was the primary reason I went to the Planetarium, which was the Sonic Vision digital light show. Laser Floyd from the 80s (remember Freaks and Geeks anyone?) this isn't. With a mix of alternate rock music put together by Moby, this had really awesome songs accompanied by all sorts of psychadelicish images set to the rhytms of the music. Very awesome, not the least bit educational. A young guy asked the operator what the show was all about afterwards and he answered "nothing... just graphics and sound." Isn't that all we really need? Even though I had a transit pass it was taking too long so I treated myself to a cab ride to the train station, which wasn't that much. There's a long walk through a park and past a couple big museums to get from the Planetarium back into the city and the train stops, and it's nice to take if you've got the energy, but I didn't.
Well, maybe later I'll talk about Saturday and today.
Friday: To flush work out of my system I left directly from the office to the South Loop, where Manifest, a semester-end festival for Columbia College, an arts university, was taking place. Galleries and outdoor music, and a free trolley between buildings that as luck would have it got a flat tire. Apparently some alumni / donors to Columbia were on the trolley because they were making loud remarks about how "their" trolley broke down. After a quick bite to eat (grilled fish sandwich) I took a bus over to the Alder Plantarium, where there was a special discount admission night. A docent suggested to me a special lecture which I attended, which was on astronomical hoaxes. The subject matter seemed extraneous to things of existence that interest me, but the speaker was humorous and compelling which made it enjoyable. I explored the planetarium exhibits, which are open late at night only once a month, and looked out the windows into the dark blue endless lake. If you don't know Alder Planetarium, is on this sort of mini-pier that juts on into the lake with the best skyline view in Chicago. There's a sidewalk path that takes you around the planetarium and at night it's kind of spooky. There were even a handful of singles and couples contemplating who-knows-what in the small trees under the grass near the rocks by the Lake (I'm trying to give you a picture of it, in a poetic way, but all I can give you are coordinates). Then at 9:00pm there was the primary reason I went to the Planetarium, which was the Sonic Vision digital light show. Laser Floyd from the 80s (remember Freaks and Geeks anyone?) this isn't. With a mix of alternate rock music put together by Moby, this had really awesome songs accompanied by all sorts of psychadelicish images set to the rhytms of the music. Very awesome, not the least bit educational. A young guy asked the operator what the show was all about afterwards and he answered "nothing... just graphics and sound." Isn't that all we really need? Even though I had a transit pass it was taking too long so I treated myself to a cab ride to the train station, which wasn't that much. There's a long walk through a park and past a couple big museums to get from the Planetarium back into the city and the train stops, and it's nice to take if you've got the energy, but I didn't.
Well, maybe later I'll talk about Saturday and today.
