So I posted a teaser last week about the Make Magazine benefit this Friday. Here are the details. I'd have posted sooner but Friday night I ate a spoiled bowl of chili which would have felled a lesser man for days. I managed to struggle through my best friend's baby shower and make it home by 5 p.m., where I spent the next eighteen hours in bed with cold compresses and Charley Patton records on repeat. By the time Desperate Housewives came on last night my appetite was back enough to have a small bite of leftovers that hadn't turned. But I still needed another eight hours of sleep.
But I digress. Friday night at Gunther Murphy's at 9 p.m. we're finally holding a musical extravaganza to benefit Make: A Chicago Literary Magazine. The $8 suggested donation will go towards production of our inaugural spring issue and the production of our media kit for securing advertisers and financing. The line-up reads like a who's-who of the local indie-rock scene:
Dead Horse Hill
The Like Young
Devin Davis
And your emcee for the evening is the ubiquitous Marvin Tate. So bring a friend or three, enjoy some great music, play our mad libs, and help us out. If you're really nice I'll buy you a Simmitch's Ale. I'll be drinking ginger ale all night. Business, y'know.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Christ this weather's miserable...
I'm just glad I have central heat for now, 'cause it's a toasty 64 degrees here in the BS command center and we have sleet on the near south side. I'm meeting friends for a screening of "Sideways" later this afternoon so I thought I'd try to get some posting in and work through some writers block at the same time.
I'm quickly meeting my first deadline for the jazz page I'm putting together for About.com. I've been given a template to work with and was instructed to follow it pretty closely, which really brings out the anarchist in me. I impulsively want to do the exact opposite.
It also makes me wish I had applied for the wine expert page, as well.
The other day I was talking to the night floor manager at work who said he had a couple complaints about the new house red wine I bought for the bar. "Maybe you should keep an eye out for these complaints," he asked.
"You only had two complaints about the wine?" I asked.
"Yeah, they didn't like it."
"Two complaints out of how many people in the house?"
"Two hundred ninety-six."
I furrowed my brow. "That's slightly more than one-half percent of the customer base for the evening."
"But they didn't like it."
"What about Friday night? DId anyone return the house red last night?"
He shook his head. "I can't recall."
I shook my head. "I know no one complained on Thursday or Wednesday. So that's two documented complaints in four days."
He finally adjusted his complaint. "Well, I don't like it."
"That's why we have more than one choice of red wine," I answered. "Pick one."
And I wonder why I'm watching "Sideways" this afternoon.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
I'm quickly meeting my first deadline for the jazz page I'm putting together for About.com. I've been given a template to work with and was instructed to follow it pretty closely, which really brings out the anarchist in me. I impulsively want to do the exact opposite.
It also makes me wish I had applied for the wine expert page, as well.
The other day I was talking to the night floor manager at work who said he had a couple complaints about the new house red wine I bought for the bar. "Maybe you should keep an eye out for these complaints," he asked.
"You only had two complaints about the wine?" I asked.
"Yeah, they didn't like it."
"Two complaints out of how many people in the house?"
"Two hundred ninety-six."
I furrowed my brow. "That's slightly more than one-half percent of the customer base for the evening."
"But they didn't like it."
"What about Friday night? DId anyone return the house red last night?"
He shook his head. "I can't recall."
I shook my head. "I know no one complained on Thursday or Wednesday. So that's two documented complaints in four days."
He finally adjusted his complaint. "Well, I don't like it."
"That's why we have more than one choice of red wine," I answered. "Pick one."
And I wonder why I'm watching "Sideways" this afternoon.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
In A Better Life
I've been playing around the past day with the free web browser and mail programs from Mozilla and think I'm at the point where I'm ready to remove Internet Explorer and Outllook Express from my computer.
I absolutely love the Firefox browser. It allows you to import your old bookmarks, browser history, and cookies from IE while customizing the browser to your specific work specifications. A neat feature I wasn't sure would work with Windows 98 is the ability to open new windows in tabs on the same browser page.
The Thunderbird mail program is an absolute must. You can train the program to filter out junk mail, which is handy for me currently since my work e-mail is brimming with fake Rolex and penis enlargement offers. I don't wear a watch but I can't wait for the swelling to subside and get a better look at the sleeping giant I've got. The next time I have sex it's gonna be World War WOW!!
What I love most about the programs is that they are not susceptible (knock on wood) to the viruses and worms specifically bred for Microsoft products, which- coupled with my anti-virus and spyshield, is a godsend since this cpu qualifies as a museum exhibit. This also furthers my theory that Microsoft and some hackers are in colluding to get our money with patches and software upgrades.
The next two weeks will be hectic. I start trial period for a freelance opportunity that comes along at just the right time. If I make it through the trial period I'll be kept on a retainer. And any money is good money during the holiday season.
Keep checking back for details of a fundraiser for the long-awaited Make Magazine start-up. I will tell you that it's at Gunther Murphy's on December 3rd and the bands we have lined up are all great live and gracious for donating their talents to the cause.
That should do it for now. I'm off to reheat some chili then it's up north for movies. Not sure which yet; either "Sideways" or "The Big Red One: the Reconstruction" at the Music Box. A Sam Fuller movie of a fleshier Virginia Madsen. It's a toss-up.
I absolutely love the Firefox browser. It allows you to import your old bookmarks, browser history, and cookies from IE while customizing the browser to your specific work specifications. A neat feature I wasn't sure would work with Windows 98 is the ability to open new windows in tabs on the same browser page.
The Thunderbird mail program is an absolute must. You can train the program to filter out junk mail, which is handy for me currently since my work e-mail is brimming with fake Rolex and penis enlargement offers. I don't wear a watch but I can't wait for the swelling to subside and get a better look at the sleeping giant I've got. The next time I have sex it's gonna be World War WOW!!
What I love most about the programs is that they are not susceptible (knock on wood) to the viruses and worms specifically bred for Microsoft products, which- coupled with my anti-virus and spyshield, is a godsend since this cpu qualifies as a museum exhibit. This also furthers my theory that Microsoft and some hackers are in colluding to get our money with patches and software upgrades.
The next two weeks will be hectic. I start trial period for a freelance opportunity that comes along at just the right time. If I make it through the trial period I'll be kept on a retainer. And any money is good money during the holiday season.
Keep checking back for details of a fundraiser for the long-awaited Make Magazine start-up. I will tell you that it's at Gunther Murphy's on December 3rd and the bands we have lined up are all great live and gracious for donating their talents to the cause.
That should do it for now. I'm off to reheat some chili then it's up north for movies. Not sure which yet; either "Sideways" or "The Big Red One: the Reconstruction" at the Music Box. A Sam Fuller movie of a fleshier Virginia Madsen. It's a toss-up.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
What's Your Best Line?
I was accused of flirting the other night, though I still protest my innocence since I didn't get the girl. It reminded me of an exchange I was privy to hearing a couple years back:
A jeweler acquaintence of mine was working some last-minute holiday sales when this drunken goofball sidled up to her table and drooled all over a set of earrings priced at $75. She was completely professional, replaced the earrings and engaged the drunk in her sales pitch.
The drunk was struck by her beauty and suddenly decided that what he most wanted under his tree at Christmas was her. "Wassyername?" He slurred.
"Oona," she replied.
The dude scratched his head, slackjawed the entire time. "Thassa pretty name. Thassasame name as Cholly Chaplin's wife, ainnit?"
"Yes."
"Ssso ya sspell dat 'ooh-ooh-en-ay', right?"
To this day I still wonder what would have happened if she said no.
A jeweler acquaintence of mine was working some last-minute holiday sales when this drunken goofball sidled up to her table and drooled all over a set of earrings priced at $75. She was completely professional, replaced the earrings and engaged the drunk in her sales pitch.
The drunk was struck by her beauty and suddenly decided that what he most wanted under his tree at Christmas was her. "Wassyername?" He slurred.
"Oona," she replied.
The dude scratched his head, slackjawed the entire time. "Thassa pretty name. Thassasame name as Cholly Chaplin's wife, ainnit?"
"Yes."
"Ssso ya sspell dat 'ooh-ooh-en-ay', right?"
To this day I still wonder what would have happened if she said no.
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