Thursday, August 28, 2008

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...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Back Stateside

"New York is one of the capitals of the world and Los Angeles is a constellation of plastic, San Francisco is a lady, Boston has become Urban Renewal, Philadelphia and Baltimore and Washington wink like dull diamonds in the smog of Eastern Megalopolis... Detroit is a one-trade town... St. Louis has become the golden arch of the corporation...But Chicago is a great American city. Perhaps it is the last of the great American cities."
--Norman Mailer

I'm back from my travels in Guatemala and hope to start blogging with some regularity pretty soon.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

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."

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Kid Sister Mania!


I was lucky enough to interview Kid Sister for UR Chicago's upcoming September issue. Her bubbly personality was infectious and I hung up the phone feeling star struck and envious of her lemons into lemonade point of view.

It seems like this weekend is all about Chicago's favorite Kid Sister! Tonight, she'll be hosting a pre-Lollapalooza Black Kids, The Foals, and the Kills performance—with DJs Flosstradamus mixing as well—at the Apple Store downtown (679 N. Michigan Ave.) at 7. I'm sure the place will be packed so get there early!

Also, Kid Sister posted this bulletin on Myspace. I can't go (work, pout) but if you're interested, you should definitely show up with your dancing shoes on:

Soooooo, have you ever wanted to be a part of one of my crazy, fun shows? Well yall, guess what? Today is ya lucky mf day! I'm looking for GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS and more girls... Reowr, haha! Yes my Chicago mamacitas if you wanna take part in my show happening this Sunday at Lollapalooza (and score FREE lolla tickets) just come on by to the open call happening tomorrow! There's some very liiiiight, light choreography involved so those with dance/theatre backgrounds are encouraged to audition.


Come by n' say chello to yer girl tomorrow, Friday, August 1st at NOON at the Revere Park Field house at 2501 West Irving Park Rd (one block west of Western av). We'll be set up outside, snackin, sippin and yappin about boyyyyys (what else, haha).
;)
See you there ma babes!!!

smoocherinis,
ks

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Chic Tanishq

Schaumburg has been mecca for many a college student or Nordic-design enthusiasts; it's the home of Ikea and, in the eyes of the uninformed, not much else. Despite its seemingly unglamorous location, Schaumburg has just received another dose of cool from across the ocean: India.

Titan Industries Ltd., India's leading producer and retailer of jewelry and watches, has set its eyes on Schaumburg to be the site of its first foray into the United States market. Located in Woodfield Mall, Tanishq is sure to impress even the most suburb weary Chicagoan. The line carries gorgeous rings, necklaces, pendants, and other pieces made of 18k and 22k gold. Tanishq features both permanent and revolving collections; the inaugural collections--Yoga, Spring, and Lotus--are inspired by nature and philosophy.

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"The Yoga collection features fluid shapes which incorporate diamonds in each piece."

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"The Lotus collection, which uses pink sapphire, keshi pearls, carved rock crystal and diamonds, is inspired by the resilience of the beautiful lotus blossom."

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"The Spring collection is influenced by the cycle of life, and encompasses delicate floral shapes with colorful stones such as garnet, rose quartz and amethyst."

C'est Chic, Tanishq. Fine jewelry is just the thing to make the trek to Schaumberg worthwhile.


Tanishq, K 108 of Woodfield Mall, 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumberg, IL 60173. Open Monday-Saturday 10am - 9pm, Sunday 10am - 6pm.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Obviously on a Gnarls Barkley Kick

Why is it that I'm just now seeing the Gnarls Barkley video for "Going On" ? And why can't more music videos and music in general be this good? Ok. Last post of the day... I just really needed to share this video.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

(Warning: Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach)

Gnarls Barkley's newest music video for the haunting song, "Who's Going to Save My Soul?" from their latest studio album, The Odd Couple. Is it weird that I felt like I would cry at the end of the video? Maybe because I'm getting out of a similar place, or afraid of being in that place again...


Talib Kweli: The Rapper's Rapper

One of the most exciting things I've ever done as a writer was cover the Zune BBQ at Union Park in Chicago a year ago. Microsoft's MP3 offering to a world obsessed with all things Apple had been embraced largely by the hip-hop community and to thank them, Zune created a concert tour across the US. The Chicago leg featured performances by Qualo (Shala Esquire's rap group), Little Brother, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli. It was a night of quality conscientious music mixed with the feel of a neighborhood block party--Robinson's BBQ was on hand and people played basketball in between sets.

Standing in the VIP section with my plus one, we noticed a man standing in front of us, wearing a light-weight sweater despite the Chicago mid-June heat.

Adam, my plus one: That guy's sweater is really nice.
Me: Yeah, it is.
On-stage announcer: Put your hands together for.... TALIB KWELI!!!!!
(man in light weight sweater runs on stage and begins rapping)
Adam and Me: OH! MY! GOD!

We were 5 feet away from one of the most renowned rappers for hip-hop heads and all we noticed was his impeccable taste in sweaters.

Long story aside, I was excited to read on the Black gossip website TheYBF.com that Talib Kweli is working on a documentary about himself. I wonder when and where it will be coming out...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Another Store Opening in Wicker Park/Bucktown

Before papers and government officials were uttering the "R" word, people in Chicago were grumbling about the "G" word: gentrification. We saw it in the droves of hipsters and artists who took haven in the historically Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen. And the more fashion savvy of us saw it when small, high-end boutiques in Wicker Park/Bucktown began shuttering up their windows and putting up for rent signs in spaces that once carried Geren Ford, Missoni, and other labels.

Out went the smaller boutiques (no longer able to afford the high price of rent and moving to internet based sales), and in came the bigger name retail purveyors. Marc Jacobs (not that I'm hating on this newest addition...drool), Cynthia Rowley, and BCBG have all moved on the fashionable strip of Damen and tomorrow night, people in the know will gather for the opening of Club Monaco.

Will this sound the death knoll for the once hipster-friendly Wicker Park/Bucktown?

Monday, July 21, 2008

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