Happy Birthday Chicago

(Editor's Note: I don't need to feel intoxicated to feel incredibly close to Chicago. Chicago intoxicates me. )

Even though I'm going through a private hell of my own making, I still raise a glass to you on your 172nd birthday. You don't look a day over 100!

Paris, Je T'Aime

I'm obsessed with the idea of Paris. The insanely chic women, the architecture, the art, the food. I would love to go there some day. I had a really crappy morning (I got two lessons in time management and journalism that left me a shaking, panicky mess from seven this morning until one in the afternoon) so I'm transporting myself to a bright and winsome version of the City of Lights, via this ad for the perfume Miss Dior. (Directed by Sofia Coppola)

New Year's Resolutions

After waking up mid-afternoon from a long night of celebrating, I hopped on Facebook and wrote what I thought would be an all-encompassing resolution to start the New Year with:

I'm pretty proud of my rudimentary Paint skills, lol.

This prompted an emailed response from someone I hadn't heard from in awhile, questioning whether substantial change through "sheer will" was possible. She attached this article from the Times, which cites medical examples of people reverting back to bad habits (i.e. dieters regaining weight) and the opinion of a clinical psychologist named Marian Kramer Jacobs who thinks there are evolutionary reasons as to why change is hard to maintain:

“If one believes that human beings are social animals, our hierarchies within families, governments and businesses depend on people who know their roles and perform them dutifully. "We're hard-wired not to change quickly," Dr. Jacobs said. "Think of what chaos would ensue if you could snap your finger and change instantly tomorrow. You would be one person today, someone else tomorrow."

The article goes on to say the belief that change is impossible can seem unpatriotic given America's history of movements and revolutions, our love of rags-to-riches icons, and self-improvement stories, yet numbers show "that after six months, only about 45 percent of the subjects managed to stick to their pledges." It ends noting that resolutions centered on healthy self-acceptance is more realistic than wide-sweeping change.

This all got me thinking whether or not resolutions are a wholly American (or Western) concept. What a luxury it is to consider the evolutionary or psychological reasons why we make resolutions! In societies where the caste you are born into most likely will be the one you die in, is there an urge to make resolutions to better oneself with the coming new year? Or is making resolutions just part of being human, wanting to change for goodness' sake, for the approval of others, or to move up in more fluid social systems, to make something better of yourself? Is there something wrong with looking back on the year as it draws to a close and thinking about ways to improve yourself in the coming year? In evolutionary speak, maybe making resolutions and being part of the 45% who succeed effects genetic fitness and allows successful resolution keepers to send their "quit-smoking-do-pilates-be-kinder" genes into the next generation.

What do you think?

Procrastination before my Vacation

I'm going back home to Kansas City today from December 14 - 23. I haven't been home in awhile, so I'm pretty excited to see my parents, younger brothers, and my two good friends (along with the satellite friends from high school who are fun to catch up with). This weekend has been amazing: my boyfriend walked in his graduation ceremony and we celebrated the momentous occasion with great food, laughs, toasts, tears, and drinks. I'll put pictures of that up on a later date; I really should start packing.


I <3 Dresses from katie sokoler on Vimeo.

(This random video sums up my feelings about dresses. I wish I had that many...)

In the Mood for Love..At the Obama Rally

While it was impossible to find my boyfriend and close friends among the throngs of people at Grant Park last night, some people were able to find their next potential mate for a few fleeting moments before the crowd swallowed them up. That's where Missed Connections comes in. Missed Connections is a forum on Craigslist where people can post descriptions of people they had brief, yet chemistry filled encounters with in the hopes that person will stumble upon it and contact them.

My friend and facial hair enthusiast posted a pretty good one this morning and it got me the thinking: how many people put up Missed Connections from the Obama Rally? The results are hilarious. My favorites?


Petite Woman with Huge Chest at Obama Rally - m4w - 32
Asked for a cigarette when Obama won - m4m - 35
MC at Obama Rally - "There's another state I'm not going to" - w4m - 28
to the trio of girls at Grant Park who took me to a bar, then left - m4w - 23
Rally Photographer, all in black, dapper hat and brass cuff buttons - w4m

Obama brings so many people together!

The White City Revisted

(photo credit: "Crowd on the Shore," Chicago Tribune photo archive)

Chicago was the home of the World's Fair in 1893, taking the honor from other American cities (Ha! Take that New York!) skeptical of Chicago's ability to outshine the Exposition in Paris that had captured the world's imagination. The city was still crawling out of the Great Chicago Fire wreckage and was considered less cosmopolitan than other cities vying for the Fair. Chicago architect Daniel Burnham met the challenge and exceeded expectations as the fairgrounds (known as the White City for its gleaming white stucco buildings) rose up on the South Side along Midway Plaissance and Jackson Park, delighting Chicagoans and patrons the world over.

Erik Larson does a great job recasting the story of the Chicago World's Fair in his book, Devil in the White City, a definite must read. Today, the Chicago Tribune has dug up beautiful, old archival photos (which, if you read the book, makes them all the more special considering what a tight hold Burnham had on photography within the fair grounds). Click here for more pictures.

Such A Fickle Mistress..

(View of Chicago from Lake Michigan. Photo credit: Me)

Ah, Chicago. How I love her and loathe her all at the same time. She jerks me around, providing the highest of highs (Chicago in the Summer) and the lowest of lows (Chicago in the W-word).

I don't want summer to be over, but every 2-bit radio DJ and random person trying to make conversation seems to take glee in the brisker winds, the shorter days and earlier sunsets. It's September! You just got here, summer! Why did I find myself in shorts during a sudden cold downpour yesterday, shivering and wet in 50 degree weather? Why am I wearing a light-weight sweater and trench coat today? It's not fair.

So hey, Summer. Stick around. Because while I do love the Fall Fashions in every store window I pass, I still want to hold onto carefree days as long as humanly possible.

xoxo,
Me

Found It!

Found objects have seemingly become a big part of indie art and culture. FOUND magazine, which has its roots in Chicago, is dedicated to reprinting objects found by everyday people: birthday cards, drawings, photos, angrily scrawled notes left on windshield wipers. What I like most about this magazine and its website is that its about being alive and the trace materials we leave behind for other people to find. Our emotions, our thoughts, our daily lives can be picked up and glimpsed into by strangers who happen upon our to-do-lists scrawled on receipts.

Here are a few of my favorites on the website, from Chicago and beyond (click on the more link for info on how they were found and how it affected the person who found them):



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(Ed. note: This reminds me of the day before we moved to our new home in Kansas City. My parents made me mad and I hid underneath an exercise machine and blankets. I eventually fell asleep and my parents were frantic, thinking I ran away until I woke up hours later.)


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I could go on and on...

To Serve and Protect

I haven't blogged in such a long time. There's always something fun and interesting going on in Chicago, but for some reason I didn't feel like writing about them. Lollapalooza has come and gone, fall clothes are popping up in store windows, but I will not begin my mourning for another summer gone and a winter drawing closer and closer. Not until September anyway...

On to the topic of this blog. Chicago's Police Department is notorious for corruption, racial profiling, and undue violence towards citizens, guilty and innocent alike. Come to think of it, you could probably make the same claims for police forces across the nation, albeit not as high profile as the men and women in blue of NY, LA, and the CHI.

Just today I found out someone I saw at Five Star (1424 W. Chicago—$2 Tecate and .10 wings on Wednesdays!) is 1- an undercover cop and 2- a drug dealer. Earlier this spring, I had to stop a good friend from getting his ass kicked by an undercover cop and his posse. The cop goaded him on, only to flash his badge and growl something along the lines of, "What you gonna do now?"

Today's Sun-Times has an article, sharing a few stories of cops abusing their power. The most ridiculous tale? Officer Barbara Neversof the Belmont police district. She was suspended for more than 15 months, after demanding free coffee from Starbucks on the North side between 2001 to 2004, "yelling when they refused her demands and showing her weapon."

Say It Ain't So!

I am not a coffee drinker myself, but I can imagine the waves of panic that spread through the nation upon word that 600 Starbucks locations will be closing. You know we're in hard times when Starbucks is one of the first highly publicized chains to start closures.

Here's a list of the locations closing down in Chicago, found on the Huffington Post. If one of these locations is yours, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and bravely march forward. Make yourself a recession latte and store it in your "green" friendly, biodegradeable coffee mug.

2286 ALTGELD & LINCOLN 2475 N LINCOLN CHICAGO IL
2403 ASHLAND & ATGELD 2454 N ASHLAND AVE CHICAGO IL
8985 95TH & WESTERN 2347 W 95TH ST CHICAGO IL
9895 ROOSEVELT & HOMAN 3350 W ROOSEVELT RD CHICAGO IL
11953 PILL HILL-95TH & STONY ISLAND 1753 E 95TH ST CHICAGO IL

Yeezy Viral Video To Showcase Humor and Irreverance

Dear Penn Badgley

(Ahummnahummnahummna.)

I think you are a stone cold fox, as do many women between the ages of 9-35 who watch "Gossip Girl." But now, after reading your Proust Profile in the new Vanity Fair, I think we should make it official. Ahem. Penn Badgley, you have officially joined my pantheon of celebrity crushes; John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Boris Kudjo, and other dreamy leading men will be there to keep you company.

Until our paths cross, I'll just have to make do with "Gossip Girl" reruns.

xoxo,
Anthonia

Worshipping the Sun Gods

June has been a slow month for blogging it would appear. I've been busy, moving out of Hyde Park and settling into my new Far North apartment. This week, the weather has been unseasonably cool (not that I mind, I don't have a swarthy man to help me install my air conditioner yet). However, it being the first official day of summer I still encourage everyone---Chicagoans and non-Chicagoans alike---to embrace the sun and celebrate.

I'm ringing in the season with a roof top party at a friend's apartment (with promises of bands and DJs) and dancing the night away at Sonotheque (1444 W. Chicago) to the sounds of Chicago dance-juke DJ phenoms, Flosstradamus. Hopefully you'll be spending the day doing something equally amazing.

Love Can't Pay My Bills, I Want Money. . .

My favorite website blogged about the website How I Spent My Stimulus Check today. The website allows people to take pictures of what they spent their stimulus check on and include a brief description describing their use. From the funny to the endearing to the achingly sad (i.e. people getting fired from their jobs because of the downturn in the economy that led to the need of stimulus checks in the first place), this website is an interesting read and lets you take a look into the lives of everyday Americans. Below are some of my picks from the site:

Scariest Use of a Stimulus Check



"Bought a CMMG lower reciever from a local gunshop. I figure with Obama's crazy gun stance, I better build a rifle before he tries to take it away from me! Hopefully it doesn't go that far...Thanks dubs!"

John, 32, Software
Bothell, WA

Most Common Use of a Stimulus Check

"Thanks G. W. Bush, I needed this gas so I can work and pay more taxes to contribute to the WAR we have no business being in!!!! "

Duane Anthony, 43, Project Manager
Guntersville, Alabama

My Day in Pictures

Answer to all the spending in the city that works. CTA Red Line, Belmont Stop. Around 4-something in the a.m. Full question: Why are there so many CTA personnel at this station?


I went to an early book club meeting and then read the book I was supposed to have finished for the aforementioned book club at the park by my apartment.


The view from my bench before I decided to lay out on the itchy grass.

Cartoon Cartoon

I have repressed a lot of my adolescence, mostly because it was composed of the kind of embarrassment and awfulness that would lead to some kind of 'Nam war vet never-ending flashback and/or arrested development... and I'm not talking about the TV show.

However, I do remember the icons of teenage angst I identified with. MTV's Daria Morgendorffer with her caustic wit and deadpan was my animated alter ego #1, but Emily the Strange came in a close second. She hated everybody and, with her gang of cats and slingshot, ruled the night. I drew images of her in my black and white spottled composition books alongside diary entries of why and how much high school sucked. Possibly because of the success of graphic-novel-turned-movie Persepolis, Emily the Strange is hitting the big screen.

Excited to see how this develops.

Waiting for Summer

Yesterday it was 82 degrees. I looked out the window of my apartment and could see boats on the placid Lake Michigan and families and pets wandering the streets. The skyline was ablaze with sunlight reflecting off glass; I drew in a deep breath and sighed. Ah, Chicago.

Today its 46 degrees and I'm back in my office. But I love thinking about that season that will soon — hopefully — be upon us: summer. This summer, I'm going to have a taste of what it's like to be a single gal in the city; my boyfriend is hightailing it to Guatemala to take classes in K'iche Maya for a month and a half. Chicago in the summer will keep me company though, and I've already compiled a list of things to do to take advantage of the city at its best:

• Breakdance classes, $95 for a six week class
• Go to concerts at Millennium Park
• Have picnics in Millennium Mark
• Start riding a bike
• Decorate my apartment
• Eat al fresco
• Summer nights in Wicker Park
• Continue with my book clubs

Have any other suggestions for me?

Love and Marriage

(click for larger image)


Want to see how you modern day gals would rank against a 1939 married gal? Boing Boing, a tech blog, has produced a marital rating scale used by a marriage counselor to "give couples feedback on their marriages." Eh.

How is this Chicago related, you may ask? The opening credits for the TV sitcom "Married with Children" featured the song "Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra and the Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. Ha!

Trapped in the Courtroom

Robert Kelly, aka R. Kelly, aka the Pied Piper of R&B, aka the Remix Killer, is finally having his day in court for child pornography charges (the alleged victim was 13 at the time the infamous video was taken). Jury members are currently being selected and disgusted by descriptions of the sex acts depicted on the tape. Only two people have dealt with the R. Kelly sex tape charges in an appropriate manner. Aaron McGruder and Dave Chappelle. Video below.

May Day

Today, hundreds of Chicago activists, Latinos, and supporters will march in protest of America's current stringent immigration laws. Last year, I was working on a documentary for my Documentary Video class that took us to Pilsen, a largely Latino neighborhood in Chicago fighting the tide of gentrification. My partner Roger and I skipped class to go to last year's May Day March and got some footage. This morning NPR says that many involved with this year's march doubt it will have the large numbers of previous years or garner support for reform in immigration laws.


Below is the documentary I worked on. I cringe every now and then—some shots are too long, I would've edited it different etc.—but if you're interested, it gives a very cursory introduction to Pilsen.



Random
New York Magazine has compiled an "electopedia", with blurbs on each presidential candidate under categories like "Mentors," "Worst Speech," and more.