Hee! Going camping! Off to Michigan with Zach, Megan, and Amanda. Back Monday.
Also, the first issue of the Chicago Shady Dealer is mad and distributed. The first issue can be found here: http://shadydealer.rh.uchicago.edu . It’s been very well received so far, with the exception of the people who could make us a registered student organization. Presently, we’ve declared ourselves a Renegade Student Organization and decided to press on with other means of getting funding (on account of our first issue being printed on a borrowed and slightly obsolete Korean laser printer).
Wheeeeeeee!
Monday, May 16, 2005
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a staff. The first general meeting of The Chicago Shady Dealer occurred today at 7:30 PM. There were at least 20 people. We have a staff, and an extremely enthusiastic staff, at that. The general mood among the editors is ecstasy mixed with a shocked disbelief that we are actually getting away with this. We’re founding a publication. Much of the credit for this goes to Zach, who doggedly went about establishing the organizational groundwork for all this, and is rightly our Editor-in-Chief. The first issue of The Chicago Shady Dealer comes out the week after next, and as layout editor, I shall rapidly be figuring out what I can do with Microsoft Word and Publisher, as well as writing an article in honor of our faculty sponsor, “Foolish Professor Stakes Reputation on Upstart Publication, Doomed to Disappointment.”
Sweet Zombie Jesus, we’re founding a publication. When we get this printed, we are having a hell of a party.
And before that, there was a baseball game. Orioles 6, Sox 2, with the Sox carrying on the grand tradition of the home team losing whenever I attend a game, not that this was particularly bothersome for me as a Cubs fan. Zach became a Sox fan just to spite me, which is very much a Sox fan thing to do, I must say. Anyway, a good time was had by all, and it didn’t even rain on us.
My other project this weekend has been to introduce people to the miracle that is Firefly. Both Zach and Megan are now thoroughly hooked, having been shown about half a season, and several other folks have been introduced to the first few episodes. I love space westerns. And the writing is spectacular. And the characters are just insanely great. The badassossity of Mal, The crazy mercenary-ness of Jayne (and the hat! and Vera!), and especially Wash, who has to be seen to be explained.
“Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”
“The legs, definitely the legs… Have you ever been with a warrior woman?”
So, anyway, Firefly is a thing of raw joy, which I can quote at length if need be. And we’re founding a publication, which is going to be amazing, because people are actually going to write things for us, and these things are already awesome.
“Facebook Founder Discovered to Have no Friends, Face”
Sweet Zombie Jesus, we’re founding a publication. When we get this printed, we are having a hell of a party.
And before that, there was a baseball game. Orioles 6, Sox 2, with the Sox carrying on the grand tradition of the home team losing whenever I attend a game, not that this was particularly bothersome for me as a Cubs fan. Zach became a Sox fan just to spite me, which is very much a Sox fan thing to do, I must say. Anyway, a good time was had by all, and it didn’t even rain on us.
My other project this weekend has been to introduce people to the miracle that is Firefly. Both Zach and Megan are now thoroughly hooked, having been shown about half a season, and several other folks have been introduced to the first few episodes. I love space westerns. And the writing is spectacular. And the characters are just insanely great. The badassossity of Mal, The crazy mercenary-ness of Jayne (and the hat! and Vera!), and especially Wash, who has to be seen to be explained.
“Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”
“The legs, definitely the legs… Have you ever been with a warrior woman?”
So, anyway, Firefly is a thing of raw joy, which I can quote at length if need be. And we’re founding a publication, which is going to be amazing, because people are actually going to write things for us, and these things are already awesome.
“Facebook Founder Discovered to Have no Friends, Face”
Friday, May 13, 2005
Congrats on the radio gig, Alex.
And so, in what should not be construed as a blatant attempt to steal Alex’s thunder, I think I should report on the progress of a project here at U of C. For some time now, Zach, myself, and several other folk have been trying to start up The Chicago Shady Dealer. Basically, it’s going to be a U-of-C-centered version of The Onion. We’ve already written bylaws and such, come up with articles, and, against all plausibility, developed an organization. And today we got a faculty sponsor: Ted Cohen, Philosophy professor and the foremost American expert on jokes. I’m not kidding. Read his resume:
http://philosophy.uchicago.edu/data/cv/CohenCV.pdf
His primary work is “Jokes”, which has been translated into several languages, including Finnish and Korean. Within 15 minutes of agreeing to be our sponsor, he sent us a rough draft of an article. We nearly plotzed. My exact words.
It’s going to be one hell of a year. Here are the headlines for a series I have planned:
Leftist Revolutionaries Rise Up, Staff Table
Leftist Revolutionaries Cut Losses, Abandon Table
Leftist Revolutionaries Sell Out, Join Graduate School of Business
Although, in more equivocal news, my bid to enter politics has failed, and I shall not be the fencing team’s webmaster. Ah well. My opponent was far more motivated. And strangely, it was the most hotly debated of the fencing club positions, judging by the time the voting went on.
And finally, let me just add that understanding that all of one’s instincts appear to be horribly wrong provides no help whatsoever, because once you start instinctively distrusting your instincts… well, it gets complicated.
And so, in what should not be construed as a blatant attempt to steal Alex’s thunder, I think I should report on the progress of a project here at U of C. For some time now, Zach, myself, and several other folk have been trying to start up The Chicago Shady Dealer. Basically, it’s going to be a U-of-C-centered version of The Onion. We’ve already written bylaws and such, come up with articles, and, against all plausibility, developed an organization. And today we got a faculty sponsor: Ted Cohen, Philosophy professor and the foremost American expert on jokes. I’m not kidding. Read his resume:
http://philosophy.uchicago.edu/data/cv/CohenCV.pdf
His primary work is “Jokes”, which has been translated into several languages, including Finnish and Korean. Within 15 minutes of agreeing to be our sponsor, he sent us a rough draft of an article. We nearly plotzed. My exact words.
It’s going to be one hell of a year. Here are the headlines for a series I have planned:
Leftist Revolutionaries Rise Up, Staff Table
Leftist Revolutionaries Cut Losses, Abandon Table
Leftist Revolutionaries Sell Out, Join Graduate School of Business
Although, in more equivocal news, my bid to enter politics has failed, and I shall not be the fencing team’s webmaster. Ah well. My opponent was far more motivated. And strangely, it was the most hotly debated of the fencing club positions, judging by the time the voting went on.
And finally, let me just add that understanding that all of one’s instincts appear to be horribly wrong provides no help whatsoever, because once you start instinctively distrusting your instincts… well, it gets complicated.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
So…hopefully this post will save us all from Pat’s oxymoronic ramblings. I have recently been hired as the Jazz Format Manager at Grinnell’s very own KDIC Radio 88.5fm. Other than getting paid 200 big-ones per semester, I am also responsible for contacting various record labels and getting them to send me more jazz and/or blues music so we can play it on the air. I then decide which of this music to play, and then keep track of the general jazz/blues catalog. If you haven’t already figured out, this is quite awesome. I am actually getting paid to be a part of the wonderful world of radio. It’s a particularly good bit of news considering the success/failure of my film festival submission at Grinnell. (I’m still trying to grasp the awesomeness of my award.) Anyway, since I have been granted the power to control jazz within a 20-mile radius of Grinnell, I thought I’d post about another jazz album. (This, hopefully, will counteract the postings of my colleague). So, without further ado:
Underground--Thelonious Monk
In my review of Porgy and Bess, I mentioned Thelonious Monk and his brilliance. I now intend to follow up on that statement. But first, a little history. One fascinating thing about Monk is that he wrote the majority of his songs before his thirties and then proceeded to re-record them with different arrangements, first primarily on Riverside Records and then on Columbia (which some consider to be his “sell-out” period). All the albums that I actually own are from Columbia, so I can’t make a judgment either way; all I can say is that they’re damn good. It’s also important to note Monk’s unique style on the keys. Some may call Monk a musical humorist. He would play a note that sounds clearly wrong, but the next time through the entire band would play the note. This gave his compositions a magnificently original sound. Unfortunately, it was also the reason why some failed to take his music seriously. Still, that didn't stop him from helping to create the style of jazz that we know as BeBop.
Underground was released in 1968, toward the end of Monk’s recording career. However, some jazzophiles consider this somewhat of a comeback album for Thelonious. As mentioned above, Monk was into re-recording the same compositions over and over. Underground marked the release of three original tracks: “Ugly Beauty” (the only Monk composition to be written in walz-time), “Green Chimneys” and “Boo-Boo’s Birthday.” All three of these tracks are certainly winners, but the success of Underground goes even further. It actually won a Grammy for best cover art. (Which is why I made sure to post a picture. Is it not awesome?)
The album kicks off with an older composition—“Thelonious.” This track swings along with the quartet. Over two decades old, this was one of the first tracks Monk recorded for the Blue Note label. Excellent piano-work by Monk and quality drumming by Ben Riley help the album to get off on the right foot. “Ugly Beauty” slows down the pace a bit, and Charlie Rouse steals the song with a smooth tenor sax. The next track, “Raise Four” is certain to jolt you awake if you’d been dozing. Monk throws down a piano theme so angular, it will make your neck hurt. Yet, it has an almost hypnotic quality. “Boo Boo’s Birthday” is a more standard track featuring another quality performance by Rouse and another great theme from Monk. “Easy Street” sounds just like its title, a laid back jazz standard featuring Monk exploring the ivory while Riley and Larry Gales set a walking pace for him to dance around. Roles switch a bit mid track as Gales whips out a bow and solos it up. The epic “Green Chimneys” follows thereafter with a playful tone that makes all too much sense when one learns that the composition is named for the school that Monk’s daughter attended. The quartet works well together here and creates a very full sound (Riley also has a truly righteous drum solo). Things wrap up with an older Monk composition—“In Walked Bud.” This is the real surprise of the album as Jon Hendricks stops by to lend his vocals. This track is just so swinging that I can’t help but call it one of my all-time favorites from Monk.
So there you have it. If you bothered to read all that, you now know what I have to say about Thelonious Monk’s Underground. If you liked what you read, go ahead and pick it up. But you don’t have to start here; in fact, you can rarely go wrong with Monk.
And because I want to leave you with something humorous and liberal:
When Bill Clinton was first running for the presidency, he went on countless shows and gave countless interviews. Clinton was a pretty hip guy. In fact, he even did an interview for MTV. During this interview, Clinton was asked what he dreamt of doing. He replied that he had always wanted to play sax with Thelonious Monk. To which the interviewer replied, “And who was the loneliest monk?”
I want my MTV.
Cheers.
Underground--Thelonious Monk
In my review of Porgy and Bess, I mentioned Thelonious Monk and his brilliance. I now intend to follow up on that statement. But first, a little history. One fascinating thing about Monk is that he wrote the majority of his songs before his thirties and then proceeded to re-record them with different arrangements, first primarily on Riverside Records and then on Columbia (which some consider to be his “sell-out” period). All the albums that I actually own are from Columbia, so I can’t make a judgment either way; all I can say is that they’re damn good. It’s also important to note Monk’s unique style on the keys. Some may call Monk a musical humorist. He would play a note that sounds clearly wrong, but the next time through the entire band would play the note. This gave his compositions a magnificently original sound. Unfortunately, it was also the reason why some failed to take his music seriously. Still, that didn't stop him from helping to create the style of jazz that we know as BeBop.
Underground was released in 1968, toward the end of Monk’s recording career. However, some jazzophiles consider this somewhat of a comeback album for Thelonious. As mentioned above, Monk was into re-recording the same compositions over and over. Underground marked the release of three original tracks: “Ugly Beauty” (the only Monk composition to be written in walz-time), “Green Chimneys” and “Boo-Boo’s Birthday.” All three of these tracks are certainly winners, but the success of Underground goes even further. It actually won a Grammy for best cover art. (Which is why I made sure to post a picture. Is it not awesome?)
The album kicks off with an older composition—“Thelonious.” This track swings along with the quartet. Over two decades old, this was one of the first tracks Monk recorded for the Blue Note label. Excellent piano-work by Monk and quality drumming by Ben Riley help the album to get off on the right foot. “Ugly Beauty” slows down the pace a bit, and Charlie Rouse steals the song with a smooth tenor sax. The next track, “Raise Four” is certain to jolt you awake if you’d been dozing. Monk throws down a piano theme so angular, it will make your neck hurt. Yet, it has an almost hypnotic quality. “Boo Boo’s Birthday” is a more standard track featuring another quality performance by Rouse and another great theme from Monk. “Easy Street” sounds just like its title, a laid back jazz standard featuring Monk exploring the ivory while Riley and Larry Gales set a walking pace for him to dance around. Roles switch a bit mid track as Gales whips out a bow and solos it up. The epic “Green Chimneys” follows thereafter with a playful tone that makes all too much sense when one learns that the composition is named for the school that Monk’s daughter attended. The quartet works well together here and creates a very full sound (Riley also has a truly righteous drum solo). Things wrap up with an older Monk composition—“In Walked Bud.” This is the real surprise of the album as Jon Hendricks stops by to lend his vocals. This track is just so swinging that I can’t help but call it one of my all-time favorites from Monk.
So there you have it. If you bothered to read all that, you now know what I have to say about Thelonious Monk’s Underground. If you liked what you read, go ahead and pick it up. But you don’t have to start here; in fact, you can rarely go wrong with Monk.
And because I want to leave you with something humorous and liberal:
When Bill Clinton was first running for the presidency, he went on countless shows and gave countless interviews. Clinton was a pretty hip guy. In fact, he even did an interview for MTV. During this interview, Clinton was asked what he dreamt of doing. He replied that he had always wanted to play sax with Thelonious Monk. To which the interviewer replied, “And who was the loneliest monk?”
I want my MTV.
Cheers.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
I don’t think I’ve ever been called “good with emotions” before. More proof that I am at my best when I have absolutely no clue what I am doing. Ah well.
So, on the upside, I think it can be safely said that I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing.
And I’ve got this damnable streak of optimism that I keep thinking is going to get me killed sooner or later. Really, some days that’s all there is to it. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s the weather and the fact that I didn’t wear shoes all day (well, only to Bartlett, but that’s because it’s required). Maybe it’s because we won ScavHunt and the Max P scav team is such an awesome group to hang out with, which I did at dinner after another valiant effort to clean up our former headquarters and get housing to give back our deposit. Also, for the sake of future ScavHunts, I shall be storing a wall-hung toilet over the summer. It’s funny how these things happen.
So back to the lack of shoes…
Because the weather finally seems up to it, and because I’ve been wanting to all year, and because I am at heart a dirty hippy, I have declared this week to be no-shoes week. Also, there shall not be socks, which will also save on laundry. Initial results suggest I will have to wash my feet regularly to avoid becoming an actual dirty hippy. But it’s perfectly feasible to go unshod on the quad, as it were, although it would be more fun if the grass weren’t so dead at the moment.
Maybe at some point we can examine the existential dilemma between my inherent optimistic streak and the number of things I suspect will kill me…
So, on the upside, I think it can be safely said that I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing.
And I’ve got this damnable streak of optimism that I keep thinking is going to get me killed sooner or later. Really, some days that’s all there is to it. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s the weather and the fact that I didn’t wear shoes all day (well, only to Bartlett, but that’s because it’s required). Maybe it’s because we won ScavHunt and the Max P scav team is such an awesome group to hang out with, which I did at dinner after another valiant effort to clean up our former headquarters and get housing to give back our deposit. Also, for the sake of future ScavHunts, I shall be storing a wall-hung toilet over the summer. It’s funny how these things happen.
So back to the lack of shoes…
Because the weather finally seems up to it, and because I’ve been wanting to all year, and because I am at heart a dirty hippy, I have declared this week to be no-shoes week. Also, there shall not be socks, which will also save on laundry. Initial results suggest I will have to wash my feet regularly to avoid becoming an actual dirty hippy. But it’s perfectly feasible to go unshod on the quad, as it were, although it would be more fun if the grass weren’t so dead at the moment.
Maybe at some point we can examine the existential dilemma between my inherent optimistic streak and the number of things I suspect will kill me…
Monday, May 09, 2005
Sometimes things are weird. Sometimes they get weirder. Sometimes things get mind-blowingly weirder. Occasionally, things don’t actually get weirder per se, but they get weird off in perpendicular new ways which, while they don’t particularly affect the situation, make the whole structure that much more impressive. I made a flowchart. It’s kind of scary…
But that doesn’t matter, because we won ScavHunt. For lo, we are Team Fluffy, Destroyer of Worlds. So, technically, we tied with Snell-Hitchcock for 1st, but that’s not important. We won, damn it, and produced some of the most brilliant, inspired lunacy I have ever witnessed:
-The penis is evil. Walt Whitman is Zardoz.
-A nativity scene for the golden calf on the roof of the business school.
-President Randel, randaling for you.
-A hat which holds two can of your beverage, an entire bag of tortilla chips, and dip.
-A guitar-sword. And a man with a guitar-sword, jumping off a building while screaming “ROCK AND ROLL!” There was also a fog machine and a strobe light. Dave Valley is Guitar Wolf.
-200 water balloons used in 30 seconds.
-A 2004 electoral foosball table.
-The super bowl shuffle, now with more cowbell.
-A man in drag with a mullet.
-A sit’n’spin with a pole dancer.
-A working calliope, made from an old TV, eight recorders, and a hell of a lot of tubing.
-Pennies with our logo on them
-Archie Meets the Punisher
-Some really moving stationery
-A potato cannon destroying itself
-A trebuchet
-www.theassbook.net
-Did I mention that the guitar-sword was fucking awesome? Because it was beautiful. It was a fucking guitar-katana, actually. Sliced clean through a UFO.
Woot. Ah well, back to the ordinary humdrum insanity of my normal life.
But that doesn’t matter, because we won ScavHunt. For lo, we are Team Fluffy, Destroyer of Worlds. So, technically, we tied with Snell-Hitchcock for 1st, but that’s not important. We won, damn it, and produced some of the most brilliant, inspired lunacy I have ever witnessed:
-The penis is evil. Walt Whitman is Zardoz.
-A nativity scene for the golden calf on the roof of the business school.
-President Randel, randaling for you.
-A hat which holds two can of your beverage, an entire bag of tortilla chips, and dip.
-A guitar-sword. And a man with a guitar-sword, jumping off a building while screaming “ROCK AND ROLL!” There was also a fog machine and a strobe light. Dave Valley is Guitar Wolf.
-200 water balloons used in 30 seconds.
-A 2004 electoral foosball table.
-The super bowl shuffle, now with more cowbell.
-A man in drag with a mullet.
-A sit’n’spin with a pole dancer.
-A working calliope, made from an old TV, eight recorders, and a hell of a lot of tubing.
-Pennies with our logo on them
-Archie Meets the Punisher
-Some really moving stationery
-A potato cannon destroying itself
-A trebuchet
-www.theassbook.net
-Did I mention that the guitar-sword was fucking awesome? Because it was beautiful. It was a fucking guitar-katana, actually. Sliced clean through a UFO.
Woot. Ah well, back to the ordinary humdrum insanity of my normal life.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
And so, I have a place to live next year, staying here in Woodward with Zach (God help me), except next year we’ve got Southern exposure and a better view. Zach vows to turn the room into a “bastion of manliness.” I am only slightly perturbed by this.
In other news, I should not be allowed to make impulse purchases. While I was buying laundry detergent at Walgreen’s, I also wound up purchasing a rather potent water gun, which calls itself a “power blaster.” It works quite well, although I don’t even know if we’ll have a second round of Assassins for me to use it, but if we do, it will be rechristened “Big Genghis.”
So, Scavhunt begins in approximately 24 hours. I am preparing to build crazy shit, do crazy shit, delegate crazy shit to crazy people, and not sleep for nearly 96 hours straight – And of course, trying not to do anything hideously stupid while hideously sleep-deprived (including, but certainly not limited to, placing my hand in the path of an electric drill).
Hopefully, no one will be killed.
And… damn, it’s been a while, so I’ve got an impressive pile of happenings. So on Saturday, we had the President Randel Open (a fancing tournament). This time, I didn’t come in last, although I still have yet to beat any male epeeists. Megan vows to kick my ass in retribution.
Then there was fencing team dinner, followed by poker hijinx back here with Amanda, Rob, and Chris, as well as a certain Mr. Smirnoff. All three of them had to be introduced to the glory of Futurama, which was done with all due haste. Next project: spread the gospel of Firefly, which I brought back from home today. I maintain that it is like unto Christ come to earth in episodic sci-fi form. It’s that good.
Also, Moulin Rouge is a very strange and perhaps slightly melodramatic movie, but also, well, spectacular. It has rather a lot of impact when one is in the mood for it. I watched it with Megan on Sunday. Also, I spent about half of Sunday eating two consecutive brunches, once with Megan, once with the aftereffects of a fencing meeting. And then there were bylaws. I’m going to need a new entry to describe what the bylaws were for, so…
Something happened Friday… ah yes. I saw Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy downtown on a house trip. I fully recommend it; it’s a pretty good adaptation, not nearly as funny as the books, but with an excellent song and dance number featuring dolphins. Casting had its flaws, but Alan Rickman makes a magnificent Marvin (the Paranoid Android). “I’d like you all to know I’m feeling very depressed.” Also, if you have the misfortune of not having read the original books, you should do so, because they are works of transcendent genius.
And then I went home Monday, returning today with Firefly, sleeping bags, a tent, pants, and an electric drill (see foreshadowing above). Guess which two items above are meant for the house camping trip.
And just when I thought things couldn’t make any less sense… well, no actually, it still doesn’t all particularly make sense, but I feel better about it. Ah well. As Karl Marx once said, “Synthesis is a bitch.” His exact words...
In other news, I should not be allowed to make impulse purchases. While I was buying laundry detergent at Walgreen’s, I also wound up purchasing a rather potent water gun, which calls itself a “power blaster.” It works quite well, although I don’t even know if we’ll have a second round of Assassins for me to use it, but if we do, it will be rechristened “Big Genghis.”
So, Scavhunt begins in approximately 24 hours. I am preparing to build crazy shit, do crazy shit, delegate crazy shit to crazy people, and not sleep for nearly 96 hours straight – And of course, trying not to do anything hideously stupid while hideously sleep-deprived (including, but certainly not limited to, placing my hand in the path of an electric drill).
Hopefully, no one will be killed.
And… damn, it’s been a while, so I’ve got an impressive pile of happenings. So on Saturday, we had the President Randel Open (a fancing tournament). This time, I didn’t come in last, although I still have yet to beat any male epeeists. Megan vows to kick my ass in retribution.
Then there was fencing team dinner, followed by poker hijinx back here with Amanda, Rob, and Chris, as well as a certain Mr. Smirnoff. All three of them had to be introduced to the glory of Futurama, which was done with all due haste. Next project: spread the gospel of Firefly, which I brought back from home today. I maintain that it is like unto Christ come to earth in episodic sci-fi form. It’s that good.
Also, Moulin Rouge is a very strange and perhaps slightly melodramatic movie, but also, well, spectacular. It has rather a lot of impact when one is in the mood for it. I watched it with Megan on Sunday. Also, I spent about half of Sunday eating two consecutive brunches, once with Megan, once with the aftereffects of a fencing meeting. And then there were bylaws. I’m going to need a new entry to describe what the bylaws were for, so…
Something happened Friday… ah yes. I saw Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy downtown on a house trip. I fully recommend it; it’s a pretty good adaptation, not nearly as funny as the books, but with an excellent song and dance number featuring dolphins. Casting had its flaws, but Alan Rickman makes a magnificent Marvin (the Paranoid Android). “I’d like you all to know I’m feeling very depressed.” Also, if you have the misfortune of not having read the original books, you should do so, because they are works of transcendent genius.
And then I went home Monday, returning today with Firefly, sleeping bags, a tent, pants, and an electric drill (see foreshadowing above). Guess which two items above are meant for the house camping trip.
And just when I thought things couldn’t make any less sense… well, no actually, it still doesn’t all particularly make sense, but I feel better about it. Ah well. As Karl Marx once said, “Synthesis is a bitch.” His exact words...
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