What's on your Playlist?

Most recent purchases off of I-tunes (in order of most recent):

1. The New Pornographers Twin Cinema (album)
2. Superchunk Martinis on the Roof
3. Superchunk Art Class
4. Annie Me Plus One
5. Sarge Beguiling
6. Daft Punk Technologic
7. The Walkmen The Rat
8. Sufjan Stevens Chicago
9. The Bravery An Honest Mistake
10. Embrace Gravity

Follow Me, Don't Follow Me

Good start to the day with a little breakfast at Orange. Last weekend we walked all over the 'hood trying to find a little al fresco dining. What's up with Chitown waking up late on Sunday? Are we just a bunch of old farts who get up in the morning before everyone? That's very likely.

This weekend, we wisely checked the web to see which breakfast places were open at 8am. Ended up going to the trendy Orange, a good restaurant that we've been to a few times before, but certainly not worth the huge lines that form after 9am. Then again, there are very few things I think I would tolerate standing in line for.

Went with the Omelette #11. Three-egg omelet stuffed with figs, leeks, bacon and brie, served with a watercress and blackberry salad dressed with blueberry balsamic and some tasty orange-flavored coffee.

End of Summer

Uggh. Yes, those lazy, hazy days of summer appear to be coming to an end. Okay, so they weren't that lazy for me (since I am working full-time and going to grad school part-time) but I like to think they were a bit more languid to some degree.

Tonight, I noticed it's starting to get darker earlier.

And here in the Windy City, the annual Air & Water Show came and went last week, typically marking the unofficial end of summer.

Where did this summer go? What the heck did I do?

Pornographers Are People Too

Just bought my first "entire album" off of i-tunes the other day. It's the latest release from Vancouver-based indie supergroup The New Pornographers. I got turned on to them by a former co-worker when I made a copy of Electric Version. Didn't end up listening to it until almost a year later and really liked it.

Twin Cinema is garnering critical acclaim - see those music snobs at Pitchfork wax poetic about it here. Gotta say I'm digging it. Also, check them out at KCRW where they paid a visit to Nic Harcourt during Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Word O' The Day

dil·et·tante ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dl-tänt, dl-tänt, -tänt, -tnt, -tnt)n. pl. dil·et·tantes, also dil·et·tan·ti (-tänt, -tn-)

A dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge. See Synonyms at amateur.

New York State of Mind

A couple weeks ago, I spent a few days in Manhattan for work. I'm only there a few times a year. Hence, I still romanticize the city as if it were a Woody Allen film. One would think this would NOT happen, what with the general funky odor that permeates the city thanks to piles and piles of trashbags laying on the city sidewalks. Over the next few postings, I'll reflect on my recent trip to the Big Apple....

Quintessential NY moment #1: My friend and I are walking by Washington Square Park and heading North, when whom do we see walking toward us? Yes, celebrity gossip commentator and Village Voice columnist Michael Musto.

Devolution 2005

Just a comment. I like that my blog has completely devolved over time in terms of substantive content. Sure there were those initial lofty goals of reflecting on the meaning of life and commenting on hyprocrisy and shallowness pervasive in society and apparent in media, politics, business, religion, etc.

Now what am I reduced to? "Hating" on C-level (is that too kind?) reality stars. Awesome.

LITTLE BITCH

He's a liar. A crybaby. A sore loser. And most of all - a little bitch.

His name is James and he is on CBS' summer fare Big Brother 6.

He is a bitch. What else is there to say? He also lucks into sticking around the house and spouts off empty threats like "they're going to see a side of me that they're not prepared for." He sucks.

Take That, Cotton Subsidies

What the heck is this a picture of? Find out by reading this NY Times Article about Oxfam and how its using marketing to get the message out about how the U.S. should end subsidies...

My Kind of Town?

What the hell's going on in Chicago? Alright, so no one expects the third most populous city in the U.S. to be as safe as Sesame Street but recently a woman got stabbed by a homeless person at Oak Street Beach in broad daylight, a taxi cab driver was shot in the head and a 23-year-old psycho botched her own suicide attempt but did succeed in killing three innocent men stopped at a red light by plowing her car into theirs.

As a result, I have decided to no longer set foot outside since it's quite clear that you can't go anywhere anymore these days. I'll just live off the Internet and try to have as little contact with the outside world as possible. Sound good?

How about P. Douchebag?

The entertainment rumor mill suggests that P. Diddy wants to change his name again. Who cares? What an ass this guy is! Puff Daddy. Puffy. P. Diddy. Sean John. Talk about desperate cry for attention. It's enough already.

What Can Brown Do for You?

ESPN reports that Larry Brown will most likely take the Knicks job after all. It's not entirely clear whether the Pistons fired Brown or Brown resigned but what is clear is that he is a coach who often falls in and out of love with players and teams.

Truthfully, Larry Brown is overrated. And the sad reality is he ruined a good thing with the Pistons by entertaining other opportunity offers while head coach of the defending World Champions. Larry loves to be "loved" though and no high-profile team needs an injection of relevance more than the Knicks.

They will struggle to make the playoffs, however, especially with that motley bunch of selfish players. Good luck Larry!

Perfect Hair. Babes. Babe Hair. I'm Just a Hairstylist.

What inane person could possibly speak these words? Jonathan Antin, of course. The star of my summer guilty pleasure, Bravo's Blow Out, follows good ole Jonathan as he launches his new line of hair care products. This guy is so self-centered and egotisitcal he makes Donald Trump look humble. But how in the world is he NOT gay?

Maybe it's because the lines of gay/straight have been blurred, as a recent NY Times article suggested.

That N#**@ Tried to Kill My Fatha!

It's time to lighten things up a bit here. With the fairly recent release of Chappelle's Show Season 2 on DVD and Chappelle being M.I.A. from a widely anticipated third season which may never happen after all, I can't help but recall one of the funnier bits of Season 2, Black Bush. Keep an eye out for Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx with a hilarious cameo as Black Tony Blair.

You're in Bush Country Now, Boy

So, I've been thinking about creating a lengthy tome about how we Americans have it all wrong. Of course, I actually don't have the time to take on such a massive effort but it is always nice to think about. The working title is Consumption and Production: The Fallacy of the American Dream. Man, that's heavy stuff. Basically I want to explore why and how our country became the way it is today. In other words, "Why are we so f'ed up?" Okay, so not all of us are. But it seems (and I don't think I am going out on a limb here) that much of society is so obsessed with working, buying, consuming, eating, making babies, teaching them to work, consume, eat, reproduce, etc. How did this vicious cycle begin? Work your ass off in school we're told. Why? So you can get a good job. Why? So you can work 80+ hours a week? Why? So you can afford nice things. Why?

And for those of you who don't have JDs, MBAs, or PhDs, no problem. Just live beyond your means! Acquire more debt! Because in America, the bigger the car, the home, the burger, the boobs, the paycheck, the better person you are. Or so we are told.

I haven't been to Europe in years but it seems that they've got it figured out a little bit better. They seem to Work to live, not live to work. In fact, an article in today's Chicago Tribune discusses how people aren't taking their vacation days and here's a shocker - it ain't always because they love their job so much!

More to come on this but for now my head hurts. In the meantime, check out this site for the nifty t-shirt http://fatamerican.tv logo above.