I Work To Better Enjoy Life, Not The Other Way Around

I have quite a few thoughts rolling around in my head today. First, I apologize for missing yesterday's Theater Thursday post and I likely won't be posting my Gaming Geekery post today.  Although I have plenty to say on both topics the recent blizzard here in Chicago has really mixed things up for me.

The thought I'd like to discuss is this: I don't live to work. Quite the opposite, really. I enjoy what I do to make money, to an extent, but I do not enjoy it so much that it comes before any and all other concerns.

I realize I have a job that requires some responsibility and that I need to fulfill my obligations. I am fully aware of this. But I fundamentally disagree with some people about what, exactly, that means.

For those not aware, my husband was trapped in his car on Lake Shore Drive here in Chicago for over 12 hours Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. This was while a Blizzard was raging through the area. Two feet of snow dropped in that time, freezing temperatures permeated the air, and wind gusts up to 70 mph roared off of the lake. And the only thing protecting him was his car, which was on a bridge right next to the lake.

To say that I was utterly terrified is an extreme understatement. My husband was trapped, the city wasn't helping him and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I was on the phone with him most of the evening and kept him up-to-date with any information I could find on the news or online.

I say all this to say that when he was finally able to get home at 6:30 am on Wednesday morning after being rescued from his car then trudging through the streets to get back to our house, all I wanted to do was spend time with him and cuddle him and make him warm and to make sure he was really, truly there with me. That he wasn't an apparition.

But there were others that did not see the importance of this. There were those that expected that I and everyone else who had been through any sort of terrifying incident the previous evening be up and ready to work in the morning. Which, to put it as easily as possible, is utter bull shit.

My life and my family and my friends are vastly more important to me than the rudimentary tasks of my position. Furthermore, there is nothing that need be accomplished RIGHT NOW that could not have waited until a more appropriate time, when all the personal affairs had been settled and life was able to resume at a mostly normal pace.

But like I said, there are those that fundamentally disagreed with me.

This is a bit of a rant, and perhaps a bit too personal to post out for the world to see, but I feel that it is important to note that I will never sacrifice personal obligations to fulfill work obligations. Work is designed to earn me the ability to enjoy a personal life, my personal life is not designed so I can line someone else's coffers.

Video Blog: Blizzards and Unions

I recorded this last night while waiting for my husband to get home.  He was stuck in the snow on Lake Shore Drive for 12 hours.  Luckily, he's home safe and sound now, but we have no idea where his car is.

But in the video, I muse and meander about civil unions here in Illinois. 

Crazy Be Crazy: Politics, Apathy, And Michele Bachmann

Call me crazy, but I am WAY more excited to watch the utterly insane Michele Bachmann (the link is great, if a tiny bit NSFW) give the Republican rebuttal than I am to watch Obama's actual State of the Union address tonight. I mean, she's crazy. Scary… but just plain out there, which should hopefully provide lots of fun for everyone to pick through!

I can't quite pin down why, but I'm just not so very excited about the State of the Union address tonight. Maybe it's because I don't expect to hear anything good (or anything at all) about the things I care about: LGBT equality, healthcare, and education. Maybe it's because I'm afraid the President will spend his time pandering to the Right. Or maybe it's because I'm starting to care less and less about politics of late.

Ah… ye old political apathy. The most vile villain of all campaign managers! If someone doesn't win an election, they blame it on voter apathy. Obviously it's the voters fault that the politicians can't seem to excite them anymore. Perhaps AstraZeneca can come up with a political Viagra to help out with that problem…

But I'm having a hard time wondering why I should get so passionate right now. I was passionate during the Bush era because he was actively working against my interests. I was passionate during the 2008 election because the alternative to Obama would likely have put me on a big game preserve for future hunting shenanigans. I was passionate during the Prop 8 lead up because it could directly affect me.

Or maybe it was just because I was in my early 20's. Who knows?

What I do know is that right now I don't feel driven to fight and care deeply about politics. I've accepted that nothing good will be accomplished in the next two years, if anything is accomplished at all, at least on a Federal level. In city politics, I should be fired up about the mayoral campaign, but really… in a city where the mayor just tears down private property in the middle of the night and gets away with it, does what I want really matter? Yes, the Rahm situation is quit hysterical, but all the other candidates are laughably under-funded and under-impassioned.

So while I realize that I might be called a "bad citizen" by some of my more politically motivated friends for just not caring about the state of political affairs at the moment, I just don't see the point in getting all wrapped up in something that ultimately won't lead anywhere. Rahm will go all Bush v Gore if he needs to steal win the election here in Chicago and nothing is going to happen on a Federal level except a bunch of posturing. And none of that gets my belly all tickly at all. I mean really, Mitch McConnell strutting his stuff usually results in explosive vomit on my end.

In the meantime, I am more than happy to sit back and watch a crazy woman be crazy on a national scale. Believe me, her rebuttal will be the most entertaining thing on TV tonight, and I just can't wait!

Alive And Home

Yes, I'm alive.

And yes, my husband and I made it back from New Orleans in mostly good health. Aside from both catching a cold of some sort, we're good to go.

I will have more real updates here in the near future, but you know how it goes when one gets back from vacation: excessive amounts of catch up at work, meeting with friends to talk about the trip, etc.

I'm planning on doing a video blog on general impressions of the city and have a few posts in mind about specific things like food and bar navigation. But for now, just know that it was a real blast!

Friday Public Announcement

Attention Blue Line riders. If you so chose to stick your luggage out into the aisle in such a way that it blocks me in and prevents me from getting off the train at my stop for work, and if you so chose to not politely move said bags when asked, please be advised that I will pick up your luggage, take it to the back of the cart, kick it multiple time, urinate all over it like a cat marking his territory, then open up the back door to the car and toss the bag onto the tracks. I will then proceed further fall back into my animal state and launch patties of my fecal matter at your face, then point and laugh.

This is your one and only public service announcement on the subject. Please continue on with your regularly scheduled douchery.

My Favorite Bookstores In Chicago

I do love me some books, but even more than books, I love a good books store. Just ask my husband who practically has to drag me out of the store whenever I convince him to go in with me. I love browsing the shelves in bookstores to see what is new, old, or just interesting, even if I end up only buying a book or two. I love the atmosphere in most bookstores and the sheer amount of information at my fingertips. But not all bookstores are created the same, and I find that I am a bigger fan of some over others. In particular, there are two really great book stores here in Chicago that one must go to if they ever come visit.

Unabridged Books

The tales and stories of the failing LGBT bookstore sub-industry are wide and varied. Gay bookstores across the country are closing down at alarming rates and the business owners are struggling to find ways to stay relevant. In times past, gay bookstores served as social hubs where gay men could safely meet outside of the bar scene and where books and magazines that mainstream bookstores refused to carry could be found. It wasn't that uncommon that the Barnes and Noble's of decades past would refuse to carry a book like The Joy of Gay Sex, so LGBT bookstores served as one of the few places to get such books. The internet has changed that though, as it has many things, and many LGBT bookstores are struggling to maintain profitability as gays and lesbians can buy books and magazines online with ease and privacy and can meet and organize online just as easily.

Unabridged Books is one of the few LGBT bookstores that has found a way to stay relevant and open. Perhaps it is because they strongly support local and up-and-coming authors, or perhaps it is because their non-LGBT specific book section is just as well-stocked as their gay section, or maybe it is because they have made a very strong effort to maintain their LGBT-focus while also adjusting to the changing demographics in the gayborhood of Boystown. Whatever it is that they are doing right, they need to keep doing it because I absolutely love this bookstore.

I'll stop in to the store about once a month to see what's going on and check out the new stock and see what's on sale. Speaking of, they have one of the best Sale Sections of any bookstore I've been to. It's large and has plenty of books to choose from for the frugal reader (i.e. me). The store also peppers employee recommendations throughout the store, but unlike going to a Borders where there is one shelf of employee recommendations which is usually full of graphic novels, Unabridged puts their recommendations right on the shelf with the books themselves. They are detailed and often help me find a new (to me) or exciting author or book.

57th Street Bookstore

Buried deep in the heart of the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park, home to the University of Chicago and President Obama (pre-White House), is my other favorite bookstore in Chicago. Another independently owned bookstore, 57th has been around for years and years. The store itself is a bit unassuming when you approach it. Walking down the street, you may even pass it up unless you happen to see the garden level window displays and the small awning announcing the stores entrance. The half-in-the-ground piece of 57th can be intimidating, but once you're in the store you'll quickly get lost.

Being right next to U Chicago has it's benefits. Namely the myriad of authors that have come from the school and the all the academic publishings streaming from the campus. If you are interested in practically any academic pursuit, 57th is sure to carry some quality texts for you. If you're looking for the newest novel from that one guy you heard about through your friend, they probably have that too. If you're looking to get lost in a maze of shelf after shelf of books, they can certainly help you with as well. 57th is just such a great resource of information and community building that I would even venture to say that it is a staple of the neighborhood. Not that it's the only bookstore there either, I just found 57th to be vastly better than the others.

I don't get down to 57th often anymore. Living on the exact opposite side of the city and not being one to drive, it can take more than an hour to get down there on the public transit system. However, I stopped in quite a bit when I lived in Hyde Park. The staff always knew the best way to help you find what you were looking for and were almost always friendly.

And That's All He Wrote

If you make your way to Chicago, or if you live in the city and are looking from some great bookstores to check out, make sure to look up Unabridged and 57th Street. Sometimes a nice, independent bookstore is exactly what you're looking for and these two are some of the best. If you live in the area, you owe it to yourself to swing in to one of these stores: you're bound to find both popular and niche titles and a staff that is very familiar with both.

Acquired: Geek Happiness

The husband and I made our way to the local game store last night to try out a few board games. The Dice Dojo is only a few blocks away but is one of the best gaming stores I've been to in a long time. It's got a pretty large selection of games, board, card, tabletop and otherwise, and a large area in back set up with the specific intention of allowing people to play some games and socialize.

Every Wednesday the store hosts an open board gaming night. They allow people to come in and try out nearly 300 different games they have opened for general use, and I suppose the idea is that if you try out some games, you'll be more likely to buy them. After all, most people are "try before you buy" types. That certainly includes myself and my husband, and the set up worked perfectly!

To be honest, I had been looking for a board game the husbear and I could play at home together. He's not really in to chess, there's only a few video games he enjoys (and even those on rare occasion), and the only board games we own involve hours of time and/or set up (Risk, Axis and Allies), so I was hoping to find something smaller scale that we could both enjoy. After consulting with a few friends and a shop employee, I decided we should try Carcassonne, and I'm glad we did.

The store was full of the types or people you might expect to find at a gaming function. I'm not one to normally stereotype, but if you know hard core gamers, you know what I'm talking about. But people were friendly enough and also smart enough to give us our own space to explore new games. Honestly though, we only got through one game of Carcassonne - Hunters and Gatherers before we decided to pick up the original version of the game for our own home use.

I wasn't shocked that my husband liked the game: it's fun and known as somewhat of a modern classic, so I knew that the game would be enjoyable. But I am very happy to have acquired a new piece of geekery for our house and particularly on that we can both enjoy. Together.

I Don't Know You, But I Think I Hate You

Are there any people you happen to see every day but don't know at all? And of those people, do you absolutely detest one of them for what you perceive them to be? No? Hmmm… well then, me neither…

OK, well, that's not completely true. There is this one guy that rides the bus with me every morning, but I swear if we ever actually met I'd think he was an utterly miserable tool. I look at him and am amazed that there is anyone out there at all who could think he has anything close to a passably friendly personality. Except maybe his mother, but probably not. I mean, she probably smiles sweetly when he deigns to grace her with his presence and says encouraging things to him on the phone when he calls her to cry himself to sleep every Saturday night while he sits in a watches Golden Girl reruns again, but I can guarantee that she talks to her friends about him like he has Downs Syndrome or just forgets to bring him up in conversation at all.

I simply can't stand him. He gets on the bus every morning wearing whatever "trendy" outfits some fashion magazine picked out for him with his nose turned so far up I'm surprised he doesn’t trip with every step he takes. I know when he gets on the bus too because the distinct aroma of fetid cockiness and disturbed air of unearned confidence travels throughout the bus as everyone lets out a sigh and rolls their eyes. He then proceeds to find an open bench and ensure that his bags find a way to take up the seat next to him, never mind that pregnant grandmother standing up right next to him hanging on to the handrail with frail and wary hands. And heaven forbid someone accidentally brush against his leg which is extended so far into the aisle it may as well be a limbo bar for toddlers because he will instantaneously launch into a tirade of lip smacks, hard stares and mumbling. Oh, and he, of course, needs to open his laptop immediately upon sitting and get on his cell phone and talk and type for the entire trip. Because any person that is actually that important lives in his neighborhood and rides the public transit system out to Rosemont for work on a daily basis…

Why do I hate this guy I've never met? Truthfully, I have no idea. It is completely irrational, and I am completely aware of that, but every time I see him on the bus, which is every work day, I get the urge to scream at him in some guttural language and hope it amounts to a curse that causes his hair to fall out while he weeps in the shower (I may have watched The Craft recently...). Does he have actuall friends and a fruitful, productive life? Who cares! It's much more interesting to project on to him my perception of his life than it is to actually talk to him. Besides, we don't talk to strangers in Chicago, particularly ones who obviously aren't homeless but would likely fit right in if they ever happened to find themselves in that situation.

Crazy Creepers Are Up Early Too

There are some absolutely wonderful things about living in Chicago. Street fairs, art, music, hot boys, and great food all make this city magical. But I can verify for you now that random strangers on the street are not one of those magical things about Chicago. In fact, they tend to be the thing that makes me want to move out of this city.

When my mom and stepdad were in town, they had a tendency to say "Hi!" to every person we walked by. Didn't matter if they were raggedy street thugs or uppity snobs, they smiled politely and greeted everyone... And were promptly ignore by 85% of the people they greeted. See, their from the rural South, where greeting people is the norm. Chances are you've met that person, and if not yet, you might someday so why not be nice to them now, right? Which is fine for panhandle Florida, but not so fine here.

Here in Chicago if a random stranger smiles at me and says hi, or anything really, I KNOW the next thing out of their mouth is "Do you have any money?". As such, Chicagoans have developed a keen ability to ignore everyone. It's a truly amazing skill, and one that has probably saved our lives in more occasions than we care to admit. The only people that respond to random strangers are tourists.

So it was this morning that I was heading to the gym. I get up way too early to go to the gym before work, so usually there's no one on the streets. But as luck would have it, there was one wide awake, crazy-eyed creep on a corner that I pass by to get to the gym. He sees that I'm checking my email on my phone as I walk by and then asks if he can use my phone for a quick call.

... I don't even make eye contact with random ass people on the street, I highly doubt I would ever let some stranger touch my fucking phone! Besides, who the hell are you calling at 5:20 am?

So I give him my standard "no" answer (admittedly with some attitude) and keep walking. Most creeps just move one and start harassing the next person, but not this guy. No, he wanted to try and make me feel bad for not letting him use my multi-hundred dollar phone. So he starts screaming at the top of his lungs:

"Fucking faggot! Honkey ass, racist faggot! I ought to slap upside your KKK head, teach your faggoty ass a lesson! Goddamn faggot with your pretty little phone, I bet that shit's pink like you faggoty ass!" And so on and so forth. I could still hear him two blocks away.

Now I don't know if he was just bored, so that's why he hollered after me, or maybe the lack of other people to harass at 5:20 am on the street was his impetus to keep yelling at me, but whatever it was that inspired him to think that I'd let His Royal Trashiness use my phone had to either be severely psychotic or really fucked up on various and sundry drugs.

Luckily the dude was harmless. He just kept yelling, but didn't follow. But still... It made for an interesting morning.

I Read It And Tweeted It

I have a new favorite religious nut-job/hobo. Every morning at the Jefferson Park Blue Line stop here in Chicago, there is a gentleman holding a sign the fervently proclaims that Saturday is, in fact, the Sabbath, not Sunday as is commonly observed. He claims this was so decreed by Jesus himself, so therefore anyone "celebrating" the Sabbath on Sunday is obviously a sinner of immeasurable proportion. But that's not what makes him my new favorite. What clenched that honored title is this: when you walk by him, he yells at you to "Read it, then Tweet it." Awesome.

This tells me a few things. Most importantly, it tells me that Twitter is dead. Once the religious hobos are on board with the newest social media trend, it can only mean that the trend has reached critical mass and is about to implode upon itself. However, it also tells me that there is apparently a Very Important Debate about when the Sabbath actually is, which is a debate I have been ignorant of until recently. I suppose that's due to my general contempt toward Christianity, but I would think at least Fox News would be running non-stop terror stories about how the Jews are out to kill all Christians (or something equally hilarious/sad) because they practice Sabbath on Saturday versus the Christian's obviously superior Sunday… but that hasn't happened, which is why I guess I didn't know about it.

It also tells me that Jeff Park is now the new Market of Religious Nutbaggery. At least in the mornings. Every morning, there are at least 5 religious douches handing out all sorts of flyers, pamphlets and propaganda, asking to talk to you about Jesus, and now screaming at you to Tweet about it. Which I did, natch.

I would say that I should find a new route to work, but frankly these zealots provide more entertainment in the mornings than I get all day at work, so I have to keep going that way. I never get these kind of Nuttishness anywhere else since I don't go through downtown anymore, and it's good to be reminded from time-to-time that I live in a giant city that is big enough to produce absolutely insane religious freak bags. And that makes me happy.

A Quiet Kind Of Christmas

This Christmas was a really special Christmas for me. This year was the first year I was able to celebrate the Holiday with my fiancé in the two and half years we've been together. You see, the past two years I've gone either to Northern Kentucky or Florida to be with my brothers and mom for Christmas. He hasn't been able to join me due to his schedule and working retail during the holiday season (if you've never done it, I recommend avoiding it if possible). However, this year I decided to stick around in Chicago and celebrate the Winter with my boo for the first time.

It's nice because it gives us a chance to build our own traditions. My family did not have too many holiday traditions, but we did have a few (and there are a couple that my mother is obstinate about her kids maintaining…), whereas his family did not have many holiday traditions at all, so we are really able to start building our traditions together with a minimum amount of outside influence. So this year we set out to create a few of our own.

On Christmas Eve, we went out to Boystown with a friend to grab a drink and see the other Chi-town revelers. It should be noted, however, that Chicago, at least the North Side of the city where I live, is mostly full of transplants. It seems everyone I talk to is not from here. They are from Iowa, Texas, Nebraska… anywhere but near. So while I expected the bars to be full of people avoiding their families while they are in town for the holiday, I was instead reminded that this part of town is more like a college town during the summer than anything else.

Christmas morning came and we made breakfast then opened gifts. I'll eventually post pictures of my gift from Esvan (once he decides to use my gift to him to take a few pics ;), but we had a great time exchanging gifts. After the blur of paper and cardboard boxes was over, we sat around for a bit playing with our new toys and taking in some Christmas-y TV then finally made our way to see Sherlock Holmes (I'll have more thoughts on that movie later).

All-in-all it was a nice, quiet Christmas spent with the man I love. I honestly could not ask for anything much better than that.

Thems Scary Powders From The Sky!

Mark your calendars! It's December 7 and we're just getting our first snow fall of the year here in Chicago, and I couldn't be happier. Don’t twist those words, I'm not at all excited about the existence of the frosty flakes from hell on the ground, but I am excited that it took this long to happen.

The first year I lived in Chicago it snowed on October 1. That's still Fall, mind you, and the middle of it at that. Actual snow fell from the sky and stuck to the ground for hours! That day I called my mother and vowed to move out of this god-forsaken town with its snow before Halloween malarkey. But I stuck around anyway, despite my hatred of the cold and snow more specifically. And what was I rewarded with? The following winter, it did not get about 40 degrees outside for 6 months straight. Gee, thanks Chicago!

This year is already shaping up better though. We've seen light flurries once, but it was just a short stint and did not even consider sticking. So here we are, December 7 and for the first time this season I've had to toss on the long johns and wrap a sweater on under the coat and I'm at least at peace with it… even if I despise the notion of snow and cold…

Now then, I could be preaching a whole different story come Wednesday when the Winter Storm From Hades comes rolling in. If it hits like predicted, with layers of wintry mix and inches upon inches of flaky white death, then I be singing a whole different song. Probably a war march or some twisted requiem...

Chicago Has Domestic Partnerships?

It's interesting what I learn when I start poking around. For example, Cook County, IL (i.e. Chicago) offers a Domestic Partnership registry! What's more, they've had it for 5 years now.

Who knew?

I for one didn't. So I poked around some more because in my eyes, that should be a well publicized benefit for queer folk city. Turns out there's a pretty big reason it's not that big of a deal: there are no, count them NOT A ONE, legal benefits to do so. Literally, it's a piece of paper that says "Congrats, y'all live together." (here's the legalese, for those so inclined)

I don't know what's more insulting: that a progressive state like ours is just now considering marriage equality, or that we were tossed this non-bone a few years back in an obvious attempt to appease "the gays."

It's quaint, really. I could go register so that it might be easier to file for joint insurance, or it might get a hospital administrator to let me go see my man if he's bed ridden, or that it might simplify our moving processes and daily lives. But it won't, really. It'll be just another piece of paper in a frame, with just as much authority as a degree from Phoenix University Online... Less, really. And that's just plain sad.

Chicago Is The "It" Town

This week my normal route home has been disturbed by something completely outside of my control. Normally, I would consider this even pretty cool, but because it's causing me a delay in getting home (a trip that already takes 1.5 hours as it is), I'm going to be a bit of a hater. This is my route home and some rich bastards are slowing me up. What's going on, you ask? They're shooting Little Fockers, the next in the Ben Stiller comedy series based solely on a guy's last name being Focker. Hilarious.

Thing is they are filming at the Sheridan Red Line stop. No, I haven't seen any of the stars myself, but I've seen all their junk: 786 trailers (on a narrow street, mind you), a bazillion lights and cranes, and a score of people who apparently have no jobs because they stand outside the damn "set" all day long gawking around hoping to get a glimpse of a real live person! You know, completely unlike their friends, or someone standing next to them. Because they are shooting at the Sheridan stop, which is where I get on and off the train, I have to fight through these hordes and hope that they haven't decided to delay the trains just so they can get one more shot.

Then last night, I went to go see a special showing of Mystery Science Theater 3000 at the AMC downtown only to find that place also swarmed with weirdoes. News vans, freaky fan-type peoples, and snooty pricks running around in paper thin red scarves (I swear I spotted 17 red scarves) and skinny suits. Oh, and Uma Thurman. She was there promoting her new movie Motherhood, which debuted last night during Chicago's Film Festival.

I just don't know if Chicago is ready for all this. OK, well, I should rephrase that. I don't know if I'm ready for all this. Sure, it's cool that my city is in the movies and in the headlines, yadda yadda yadda, but I also just want to be able to get home in peace after a nasty day of work, or go watch some stupid geek-gasm flick at the theater downtown to unwind without having to deal with the world's worst snobs. And honestly, do people really go ape shit like this over actors still? I was excited when I got to meet Dan Savage, but I talked to him like a normal person. I didn't stalk him around and hope for just a glimpse of his greatness in hopes it would fulfill my life. If I saw Ben Stiller at the Red Line, I'd wave or say "Hi, I really liked Zoolander, it's one of my favorite movies," and leave it at that.

I just don't get it. I suppose it's not for me to get. I guess I do want it both ways though, because I like the notoriety we get for things like this, but I just don't want them to get in my way. Oh well, looks like for now I just get my cake but no way to eat it.

Our Very Own Seinfeld Episode

I have found Chicago's soup nazi. Only it's not exactly a soup shop. It's more of a burger/bar joint. But still, they are just like that most iconic episode of that one TV I didn't really care for.

It's a place called Bar on Buena and they have the absolute best burgers I've ever had in town. They're just plain delicious, and the beer selection is wonderful. We found the place because it's right around the corner from my old apartment in Uptown and we would eat there fairly often, but we started getting a bitter taste in our mouths about the place after awhile because they're just plain mean people.

Last night we tried to go there for dinner mostly because of they have $5 burgers on Mondays. So we hop the train and invite a few people and make it there around 8:30 only to find the place packed. That's not a completely unusual occurrence there: the place is pretty small in general. We also learned that "The Game" was on… oh, the things straight people so! It's so cute when they say things like The Game and assume anyone has any clue what in the world they're talking about. Football, baseball, ballroom dancing, who knows!

Anyway, we asked the first waitress the passed us by if she thought any of the tables might be getting up soon, to which we got an emphatic "No!" with a little chuckle thrown in, as if it were amusing to her that we'd even think such a wild and crazy thought like people leaving when they are done eating. Not convinced, we decided to wait a few minutes while the rest of our crew showed up to see if we could spot any tell tale signs that a table might be leaving soon, but no checks were dropped at the tables and empty glasses were all filled with fresh beer. Finally, we asked another waitress if we could move a few of the tables around outside and, since one of the other outside tables had managed to snag ALL of the chairs for themselves, if they had any additional chairs to which she responded: "No. We're busy. The Game's on. People aren't going to leave." with as much attitude as a 120 lb glasses-wearing, bottled blond can muster. And a neck and eye roll, just for flavor.

There are no TVs outside from which to watch this mythical game.

From the tone of the waitresses in this place, I can only assume the fate of our very souls was being battled over in this Game. And we were the idiots that were bothering the poor staff there with our very presence.

We were not getting burgers. We simply could not get in to enjoy the deliciousness that is the Buena Burger. It wasn't going to happen. And the staff is more than happy to let you know that you just aren't going to be able to eat because they have more important things to do.

In the end, we went to an old favorite Mexican place a few blocks away and were gifted with good food and Heartburn. Chicago.

Joys Of Winter: Waking Before Dawn

I just need to throw this out there: I abhor waking up before dawn. I think it's a crime against humanity to be forced to wake up before the world itself does.

One of the biggest reasons I hate Winter is the absolute lack of sunlight. And the freezing ass cold, but that's kind of related to the sun light. Waking up and realizing that the world won't even bother doing the same until after you are already at work is just soul sucking. But waking up in October and seeing complete darkness outside, and also noticing that there are only 8 lights on in the 30 story building next to you (not that anyone is counting), that's just plain sad.

Oh, and the absolute Thrill of seeing the weather report and knowing that when you walk out the door it's only a few degrees away from freezing outside, well that just puts an eternal smile on this face…. God, I need to move back South...

No Olympics For Chicago

Well, there it is folks. Chicago is officially not going to host the 2016 Olympics. Honestly, I was a bit indifferent to the whole idea. It would have been cool, but all of the crap that goes with it would not have been cool.

I was looking forward to getting the CTA and roads finally fixed, as those would be an absolute necessity, but I was not looking forward to the increased taxes that would surely come even if Daley promised otherwise. I don't trust a promise that man makes anyway as he's just as likely to turn his back on it as he is to make it, so whatever.

I'm just sad we won't be getting a city full of hot foreigners that summer.

And Then A Thing Occured To Me...

I hate getting near the end of the week. Well, I like it in terms that the weekend is coming up, but I hate that it seems everyone puts off their work until now, which given my function at work means more work for me. But I suppose that's how things go.

We've been thinking more and more about the date of the wedding and the "reception" party. I mentioned previously that we were considering June 26 to be the date for the party and at that time I talked about some of my concerns. In light of that, a few people mentioned that we possibly put the party off until later in the year, say early Fall. Even though I really like the June 26 date, I'm thinking the wisdom of holding the party later in the year might win out.

There are a few reasons for this, some of them I've mentioned before. June is the beginning of convention season here in Chicago, as well as festival season. For a good three months straight there is always something going on in the city, and most likely downtime. That also means that hotel prices will be high, and that catering companies will be booked, and rooms will be expensive. Now I'm not looking to be cheap, but I'm also not looking to put my friends and family out to come celebrate with us.

We could move the date up, but then we run into a concern of will it still be cold (this is Chicago Weather, the city that thinks it's reasonable to snow in April…) and whether or not we have the time/money to pull it off. So if we can't move it up, and we don't like the date we originally thought of, then all that's left is to move it further out. Want to know the added benefit to doing this would be? Not having the party on June 26 leaves that day wide open for us to do something else, like… possibly flying to Canada for a weekend retreat and exchanging vows. ;)

So that's where we are right now. We had to slow down the planning a bit because the fiancé's car needed some repairs and I've been distracted by a new game, but we'll get this planning back on track soon enough!

Dear Chicago Weather

Dear Chicago Weather,

How's it going? Um, so listen… I'm not really sure how to say this, but you really, really stink. I mean, all Summer long you give us bland and mild 80 degree weather, if that. Then, just as if you got bored with that idea, you turned on us and gave us 50-60 degree weather for the start of Fall. It's total BS!

I've lived all other this country, and even outside it. I've seen how seasons are suppose to be. And after living here for three years, I can clearly see that you don't have a flipping clue what each season is suppose to be like. You either snow at the beginning of Fall, or give us 6 months straight of snow as if we're in Alaska, or you give us an excellent Spring yet somehow forget to transition to Summer, but you haven't gotten it right yet.

So here's the deal. You need to get your shit together. I mean, we all love you and are here to support you, but there comes a time where we have to say you either get on board or get the hell on… and we're not really seeing you get on board. Maybe it's all the alcohol, or maybe just the stress, but whatever it is you're way too distracted to carry on. So, I'm going to give you one more chance to get your act together. I love you, but if you keep this up I'm going to have to move on.

LYLAS,

Dickie

It's Like The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Meets The Rockettes

I'm now in Week 2 of my Chicago Gay Men's Choir experience and I still enjoying it very much. Back in my high school and college days I sung Tenor almost exclusively, but these days they have my in the Baritone section. While I can still hit the Tenor 2, or lower Tenor, parts easily, I'm finding the change of pace to Baritone and the use of some of my lower register to be a lot of fun. Also, my vocal chords don't want to fall out of my throat at the end of rehearsal. Which is a bonus.

As we go along and learn more about the Holiday Show, I'm getting pretty excited. This weekend the choir hosted it's new member mixer/party deal at Sidetracks in B-Town and they showed the DVD of the last concert, which was blast. After watching that show, and after hearing more about this Christmas production, I'm learning that this chorus likes to put on out and out stage shows, not just a group of guys in suits harmonizing on stage. For instance, this show is going to feature dancers, a living Menorah, and a lingerie fashion show. And that's just a sampling of the event!

Our director is referring to the show as "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir meets the Rockettes," which is sounding more and more likely as we get more details of the show. They are also a few solos in the show, as well as a few quartet pieces, and I'm pretty tempted to audition for the parts. I figure I may as well give it a shot. There may be better singers in the group, but I may be just right for a given song. I'll just have to wait and see though as they haven't announced the auditions for those just yet.

The group seems very nice and friendly too. I joined with a high school friend who is extremely outgoing, so he makes it a bit easier to meet other members, but everyone I've talked to so far seems to be sociable. So far I'm pretty glad I decided to do this. Now the question will be am I still excited to do this when we get closer to the show and there are those extra couple rehearsals in the middle of the week, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.