Stiles' Wolfmobile

Tumblr for Wolfmobile

2011-02-08T08:17:00.000-06:00

I've been posting here lately.

http://holdthejello.tumblr.com

Blogger is clunky, but I'm sure I'll return from time to time.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T09:42:00.000-06:00

I had some photos and video from Halloween that seemed worth sharing so I threw this together Saturday morning. I dressed up as a refrigerator magnet and Hannah re-used her Fay-Wray King Kong costume from a couple years back. We were originally only headed out to her boss' party, but ended up moving on to a pretty cool loft party with Kristen and Steve and ended the night at Beauty Bar with Kid Color. Fun stuff. Enjoy the hokey iMovie theme too.

The Wall

2010-10-04T22:50:00.004-05:00

click Vimeo on the bottom right for a larger version.

I recently had the good fortune of scoring tickets to see Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd, perform "The Wall." It was amazing. Really, I haven't seen a show like that in too long. It was huge and exciting and provocative and awesome. Shannon came along too.

Why Conserve Water in Chicago?

2010-09-19T22:41:00.012-05:00

Recently I was chiding a coworker about what I considered wasting water and he asked me "What difference does it make if I waste water in Chicago? We're next to one of largest fresh water sources in the world?" I didn't have an answer so I took it to Colin, a friend and sustainability consultant (I think that's his title) for a large architecture firm. Here's what he said.

I'll break it down for you as a 30th Birthday present:

1. Don't forget the Aral Sea!!

It used to be one of the 4th largest lakes in the world. In just 30 years it has decreased in size by 90% because of industrial and agricultural demand for fresh water. Lake Michigan water is used by numerous industries and agriculture. Once they use the water, it is sent down the Mississippi and into the Gulf... where it becomes unusable. Ever since the Chicago River was reversed 100 years ago, storm water and used potable water do not infiltrate back into Lake Michigan.

2. Water = Energy Use = Carbon Emissions

Nearly 4% of all electricity consumed in this country is for treating waste water. This does not include the amount of energy needed to pump fresh water into buildings and homes. See this information on the EPA website:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/sustain/energyefficiency.cfm

Also, the second page of this pdf is helpful:

http://css.snre.umich.edu/css_doc/CSS04-14.pdf

3. They're coming for our water!!!!

The Great Lakes are 85% of the fresh water in the Americas and 25% of the fresh water in the world. The majority of the world does not have access to fresh water and now the US Southwest is losing access to fresh water. Multiple proposals have been drawn up to divert fresh water to the US Southwest and ship fresh water tankers to India and China. Luckily the Great Lakes Water Pact (signed by the US and Canada during Bush... I know) is currently protecting the Lakes. Once things get ugly and people run out of water in 20 years, that pact may not hold. More reason to conserve now and be an example.

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/3257

4. Be an example

Touching on that last point, many people in this world DO NOT have fresh water. Just because we have it doesn't mean we should abuse it.

Happy Birthday

Thanks Colin!

I Give Up

2010-08-06T08:51:00.000-05:00

Not sure if you've taken the time to get angry today. This ought to take care of that for you. (10 min)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

I Give Up - 9/11 Responders Bill

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Anne Marie's Farm

2010-07-20T00:27:00.000-05:00

Tom, Ryan, Alec, Anne Marie, Hannah and I headed out to Yorkville, IL, a couple months ago to spend the night at Anne Marie's family farm. She took some photos.

A video, edited by Hannah.

New phone/camera

2010-07-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

I bought the new iPhone. It hasn't dropped any calls yet, but the camera is excellent. Here's a picture I took last night on the way home from Pitchfork. Also, that was lots of fun.

Portland 2010

2010-06-14T12:31:00.001-05:00

I went to Portland, OR, a few weeks ago with Hannah and our friend Tom. We hung out with Hannah's ATL friend Chantale. She was an amazing host and successfully sold Portland to the three of us. That city has great food, good people, excellent nightlife/strip-clubs, amazing bicycle infrastructure, all in a beautifully lush climate. I recommend it to all.

Multnomah Falls

Cathedral Ridge Winery

After-party in the garage

We had to carry our bikes up to this bridge. Well worth the effort though.

Goonies house in Astoria

Tom in front of the Kindergarten Cop school. Turns out he does a great impression of the villain in that movie (this guy).

Atop the Astoria Column

Haystack Rock aka the Goonies rocks in Cannon Beach

More pictures here if you're curious.

As usual we brought the Flip camera. Hannah did a great job editing it into what I think is a thoroughly pleasant home movie. Please check it out.

Imitating Art Imitating Art

2010-05-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I saw Exit Through The Gift Shop. It's a documentary about street art and its biggest names including Banksy and Shepard Fairey. One of the other main figures, Mr. Brainwash, goes from obsessively filming street artists to becoming an artist in his own right (according to some, at least). Anyway, I loved the movie. It was funny, interesting and even inspiring. I came home and started messing around with what you see below. The man is Walt Disney and the quote is from a plaque in the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland. I'm not trying to say anything with it, just having fun. Also it seemed like something Mr. Brainwash might make.

South By Southwest Music 2010

2010-05-04T23:28:00.004-05:00

Another year has passed and with it another South By Southwest music festival. Taking place in Austin, TX, it's possibly the best perk of my job and I look forward to it every year. This year was Schubas (and now Lincoln Hall's) 14th party and Matt and I agreed that this was the best party either of us had been a part of. This all went down from March 17 - March 20 and in true Stiles fashion, I'm getting these pictures up a month and a half later.

Some set up the morning of our party at Yard Dog

Matt and Megan

Me with the merch

The Threadless prize dice. They were a sponsor and gave away all sort of fun stuff to attendees

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Dan O'Conor and Hannah

The Hood Internet

Dave Pompei aka Party Boy and his sister Regina

We Are Scientists

Japandroids

this year's poster designed by Spike Press

Threadless throwing t-shirts into the crowd

Born Ruffians

Once again we had the honor of housing Chris aka Bald E for a couple nights. He was confined to the corner and kept under quarantine, but he made us laugh and played the latest remixes while we got ready.

Broken Bells

Hannah and I watch lots of Current TV. This is Douglas Caballero and he hosts a music show we like. Anyway, she and Casey hung out with this dude while Matt and I saw Broken Bells and watched 3-D TV at the C3 party. He was very nice and I'm sure everyone was well behaved.

Local Natives

Casey, James Mercer from The Shins and Broken Bells, Hannah

and again

We rented bikes this year. I'd say it was a great move. A minor hassle at times, but that was outweighed by the ability to get anywhere in Austin in minutes. I'd definitely recommend it.

I've never had so much difficulty using an ATM.

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings

Since everyone down there had an iPhone it took forever to load up anything online. Instead of going online I took a screenshot of party schedules and would just refer to my photos.

Here's a full list of all the acts I came across this year...
Keepaway
Here We Go Magic
Jokes of the Scene
Hey Champ
The Smith Westerns
The Rural Alberta Advantage
We Are Scientists
Japandroids
Born Ruffians
The Hood Internet
Freelance Whales
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Maps and Atlases
Rogue Wave
Local Natives
Miike Snow
Broken Bells
Washed Out
Dam Funk
Best Coast
Harlem
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Free Energy
Marina and the Diamonds
Hudson Mowhawke
Tanlines
Delorean
Fool's Gold
Fang Island
L-vis 1990
Willy Joy
The Antlers
Frightened Rabbit
Arms
The Growlers
James Messersmith
Radio Radio
Bonjay
Craze
Treasure Fingers
Flosstradamus

This place has some damn fine street food.

The Zero Gravity machine at the Mad Decent party. It was the longest ride I've ever riden. Seriously, we were on that thing a good five minutes.

Frightened Rabbit at the IFC House. I can't seem to find it online, but I think they play it on TV in between movies.

The Growlers

Fun with duct tape

Radio Radio at the Pop Montreal party

One of the last shows we saw was at a church. Just about anything can be a venue during SXSW. Here's Jeremy Messersmith.

There's really not too much to say about the music. Some I loved, some I hated, some were completely unmemorable. Check out the links of the bands above if you want to explore. The trip itself was awesome and I look forward to next year.

Hannah and I put this video together. Enjoy.

Planet Money // Teen Wolf Screening

2010-03-25T13:24:00.001-05:00

I've been digging the Planet Money podcast for about a year now. It's a bit NPR/This American Life-ish, but they do a great job of explaining often complex financial matters in a way I can understand. Their latest episode explains exactly what's in, and what's missing from, the newly passes Health Care Reform bill.

Check out that story here.

If they're not focusing on the latest financial news they'll sometimes put a human face on a financial matter. In this episode they talk with a collections agent. In this one they talk with an "efficiency expert."

Additionally, each episode is only about 20 minutes long so you don't get burned out on the jargon. Anyway, it's a great podcast.

------------------

This Tuesday we're showing Teen Wolf at Lincoln Hall. It's part of the series called "The 3 Penny Was Here", a shout out to the former business on that particular plot of land. Time Out says it's better than Brew 'n View. It's free, there are beer and vodka specials as well as $3 brisquit sliders. Also, there's a 220" screen and an HD projector. I made this poster promoting it. Come by. Oh, Fletch is playing also.

Red Cube Projects

2010-02-22T11:20:00.000-06:00

Early last December we found a small red cube outside the front door at Schubas. It was labeled "Art Institute Chicago" on one side and marked as number 68/500. It also instructed us to visit their website and enter a code. There, we were told to make a video of the cube dancing. Originally we had lots of ambitious ideas for how we could make it dance at a show and which bands could help us out. In the end we got way too busy with new responsibilities and gave it to our creative intern Nick. He produced the following video. I think it's pretty cool.

AIC has set up a website and twitter feed devoted to this clever campaign. Fun stuff.

www.500-ways.com

twitter.com/AICRedCubes

Last week I spotted a giant version of the cube on a side street near my place.

I like how this one has a name. Cube Enriquez.

Keep an eye out for others.

Chris & Holly's Cats

2010-02-01T20:02:00.002-06:00

I was cleaning out a hard drive this weekend and found this old gem. Chris put it together on iMovie 3 or 4 years ago. Forgive the low resolution as it's from the old days of digital cameras and created as a joke in Chris' spare time.

Win In The End

2010-01-26T22:26:00.000-06:00

At the request of my brother Nick...

Mark Safan - Win In The End

Yeah, I know it's been a while and this is a weak post, but what else have you come to expect?

Best Albums of 2009 - Ten through One

2010-01-05T11:11:00.000-06:00

More of my favorite albums of 2009. Here are numbers ten though one. They're listed in the following format:

Artist - Album Name

Name of Track I Like

Click the track name to listen.

I should say that I'm not trying to say these are "THE BEST" albums of the year. They're just albums I really like, respect and played often this year and I highly recommend them.

#10

Atlas Sound - Logos

Criminals

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Rome

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

The Fear

Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

The Animator

School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms

Half Asleep

Kid Sister - Ultraviolet

Right Hand Hi

John Vanderslice - Romanian Names

C & O Canal

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

Dragon Queen

#2
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Oblivion

Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio

Easy To Persuade

Even more lists coming soon.

Best Albums of 2009 - Twenty through Eleven

2010-01-01T18:02:00.000-06:00

At work we made Best of 2009 lists. I broke mine down a bunch of ways, but I'll start with the old fashioned Best Albums. I chose twenty. Here are numbers twenty though eleven. They're listed in the following format:

Artist - Album Name

Name of Track I Like

Click the track name to listen.

#20

The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart - ST

Young Adult Friction

#19

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

The Sweetest Thing

#18

Jack Peñate - Everything Is New

Pull My Heart Away

#17

Royksopp - Junior

Vision One

#16

YACHT - See Mystery Lights

The Afterlife

#15

Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper

Only If You Run

#14

Miike Snow - ST

Burial

#13

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

Thank You

#12
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Deeper Down

#11

Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health

Sunlight

More lists coming soon.

Photoshop, Lennon & Chicago - Acts 1 & 2

2009-12-30T19:04:00.003-06:00

Chris' New Camera

2009-12-28T23:24:00.003-06:00

My brother got a new camera. He's been taking some pretty good shots of my nephew Lennon.

Almost forgot about this one.

Google Goggles

2009-12-08T10:21:00.001-06:00

Wow. Very cool stuff.

Thanksgiving Staycation

2009-11-30T10:31:00.000-06:00

Yes, stay-cation is a totally lame, played-out buzzword. Regardless, that was the goal for the last 4.5 days for Hannah and I. Having been to St. Louis twice in the last month, plus a weekend at the Wisconsin Dells, there was little interest or motivation in another journey down south for Thanksgiving. Couple that with the fact that I haven't had 4 days of true down time in Chicago and you can understand why I was so excited about this local R & R. I kept track of most everything we did using my iPhone camera. Here's how it went down...

Wednesday night: Kid Sister w/ Flosstradamus show at House Of Blues. Super fun all around, although I wish the crowd would have been bigger and the show later. All in time, I'm sure.

Here's Genevieve and Marah sporting their light-up pro nails. They got a shout out from the stage for those.

A rainy and cold Chicago night on a lit-up Michigan Ave.

Matt, Steve, Hannah and I hit Boston Blackies for a late dinner (their burgers live up to the hype) and some stupid fun with our phones.

Thursday: Slept in for the first of many days. The only thing on the docket was Thanksgiving dinner at Julie's parents' house in Joliet. The day had all the right pieces in place: great food, mild family tension, wacky grandma, gossip about the neighbors, naps. It was a lovely evening and we were glad to be included. Thanks Julie!

Julie decided to take an old painting from Joliet to Chicago in the back of her pick-up. After a few minutes on the highway we noticed it was catching the wind and close to flying out on to traffic, so we pulled off to a gas station to better secure it. It was quite a little MacGyver operation, but the painting didn't fly out the rest of the way home, so I guess it was a success.

Friday: That afternoon we checked out a new coffee shop in our hood. It's called Global Coffee and Cargo. They are a non-profit affiliated with the "church"/A.A. support group/halfway house upstairs. They serve cheap, good coffee (Intelligentsia), a pretty full food menu, it's comfortable enough, they have decent hours and it's quiet as can be. No one seems to know the place exists, probably because they have essentially zero online presence. Hopefully that will change and they'll stick around. I couldn't even find a Google Maps listing. Anyway, check it out if you live in the square. On Armitage just east of Humboldt.

Since Hannah didn't have work that day and didn't have to get to her Schubas shift until late, we decided to find out what Critical Mass is like on a chilly night. Turns out it's pretty great. There are probably a tenth of the number of bikers you'd see on a summer ride, so we pissed off drivers less than usual (they didn't have to wait long for us to pass by). Since it was "Black Friday" we had plenty of shoppers downtown to high-five and wave to. It was Hannah's first Critical Mass and a particularly unique one for me, so I'm happy we decided to brave the cold. Fun stuff. Happy Friday.

Later on I went up to Lincoln Hall to meet some friends and check the the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show. It was sold out and, in my opinion, the best show yet at Lincoln Hall.

There are eleven people in the band and the main dude looks like a mix between my friend Jason and Russell Brand. It was kind of cultish in the best way possible. They all went into the audience and the crowd was singing along. The album is excellent and so is the live show.

"Party Boy" Dave, Matt, Hannah and I met later at Smartbar where LA Riots were DJing. I saw a fight almost happen on the street between two guys coming out of another bar. They looked like the grown up version of these guys. It was hilarious.

Saturday: Brunch at Lula. Always a guaranteed great meal, be it brunch or dinner. Kristen's BF, Steve, was cooking. I had an omelet full of braised duck, dates, arugula, and feta.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning house and reorganizing.

Around 10, Fauzia came over for a couple hours before the three of us went out dancing. Here she is fixing up Hannah's nail-polishing attempt.

Hideout dance party was awesome. LDW with DJ sets from Bald E, Mother Hubbard and Sparkletone (who killed it - so much fun). On the way home I got an excellent Chicago style hotdog from the cleanest, most organized street vendor. This at 3 AM, no less. Thanks for all the driving Fauzia!

Sunday: Very productive. Grocery pickup at Trader Joes.

I put in some serious bathroom cleaning time. It's sparkling.

Hannah did some more cleanup/organizing and the place looks awesome.

Moved this thing into the other bedroom.

Now that we have a dinning room table (chairs coming soon) we had a proper meal consisting of Hannah's turkey chili and half a baked potato.

All in all, the long weekend was a total success. I'm very well rested and fed, got a decent amount done and I'm enjoying our home more than ever. Sorry for the cheesy "Tim and Hannah" post, but that's how it went down this weekend. She's on the couch next to me crying to an awful romantic comedy (Bride Wars), although I'm ashamed to say how much I'm enjoying it too. I missed my usual family Thanksgiving in St Louis, but we definitely made the right choice staying in town.

So, how was YOUR weekend?

New Orleans Wedding 2009

2009-11-20T02:30:00.000-06:00

Emily, my good friend from way back (middle-school), married the guy she's been dating for like 10 years, Gordon, last month in New Orleans. Hannah and I went down for the wedding and it was a phenomenal weekend. The weather, to the food/drink, the people, the hotel, the city… they were all awesome. Here's some video of the weekend.

Round We Go

2009-11-16T23:22:00.001-06:00

About three weeks ago my married friends Ryan and Laura left America for a one-year trip around the world. Their jobs are quit, stuff sold or in storage, money saved and they're off. I think it's totally awesome and ballsey as hell. They've got a long travel history already so I'd guess they know what they're getting into. A year of travel is not a vacation, it's a lifestyle. Over the next year, and in the following order, they'll be hitting cities in South America, South Pacific, SE Asia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, Europe, Africa and South America again, arriving back in the Chicago (I assume) in November 2010. Details here. Here's a quick video of the route.

They've got the requisite Facebook at Twitter profiles, as well as a blog that I think is really well put together and extremely well written. Plenty of pictures too. Everyone should give it a good look, whether you know Ryan and Laura, respect the traveler's ways or just appreciate a good blog.

Roundwego.com

Dinner with Hannah

2009-11-12T22:44:00.001-06:00

This was actually one of the better burgers I've ever cooked.

Area Codes

2009-11-06T09:33:00.003-06:00

Thoughts and stereotypes on Chicago's area codes, as recorded outside the Thompson Center downtown and heard on Eight-Forty-Eight Friday morning.

Listen Here

I'll bet we can all agree that no one wants to be one of the new 872 folks.

Chicago Tourist Pictures

2009-11-03T08:15:00.001-06:00

My parents seem to know how to work a camera. Check out these three shots from their visit in September. I think they look like postcards.

Chicago Trump Tower and Hotel

Bridge to Millennium Park from Art Institute's new Modern Wing

Tribune Tower and Chicago River

This weather is missed already

What I've Been Working On...

2009-10-30T00:01:00.001-05:00

for about 70 hours a week for the last month. Well, I guess the last two weeks have cooled off a bit.

A pretty thorough Tribune article here.

An even more glowing article from Tribune as well here.

And yet another friendly review from Metromix.

Timeout Ted Leo review.

It's been a ton of work and terribly stressful at times, but we're all very proud of the place. Although there are still a few kinks to work out, we really think it's going to be a great addition to the Chicago live music landscape.

http://lincolnhallchicago.com

A New Sign at the Damen House

2009-10-29T23:45:00.004-05:00

Looks like they put up a new sign and are apparently enlisting Kinkos for some help. The black and white block typecase is certainly clear, but it lacks the personality of all their past homemade signs.

Chicago Camping

2009-09-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

Last night I slept in a tent with Jason and Julie in their backyard. They live just between Logan and Western, a couple blocks west of the highway. They had the "campfire" going, roasted marshmallows and all. It was surprisingly comfortable and peaceful back there. We'd like to do it again next week.

Drying out the morning dew...

Helen Of Troy

2009-09-21T14:59:00.003-05:00

This is the video for Helen Of Troy by Telefon Tel Aviv. They're one of my favorite electronic artists and this video features my friend Nick.

The Loud House on Damen

2009-09-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

On one of my bike routes to work I pass a house on Damen Avenue just north of Diversey. The owner make signs and hangs them from the balcony for all the passers-by to read. They're usually of a political nature, but sometime just more general social commentary. I started taking a pictures of them last summer.

More Fun With Animating Photos

2009-08-31T18:47:00.002-05:00

I can't figure out how to embed this animated image, but here it is. Rudy took the pictures and animated it too. Thanks Rudy.

The Fall and Resurrection of El Pacifico

2009-08-31T12:08:00.005-05:00

About a year ago the building across the street from my office was torn down. It housed a taqueria and two floors of apartments. Since we ate there regularly, we were sad to see it go. The first video is of an exciting point in its demolition. As they started rebuilding, I attempted to take one picture per day, at least during the active period of the construction. The second video is an animation of 46 photos of its construction. Hopefully, the Mexican restaurant we loved comes back.

I'm Giving You An Opportunity

2009-08-25T13:53:00.001-05:00

This is how I got Hannah. Persistence and confidence are key.

The Reason Some Girls Stay Single

This Could Have Been Me

2009-08-24T13:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a nicely written and disturbing true story, complete with some great photos, about a guy attacked while riding his bike home. I ride this same route home from Stevie's, and many other places south of me, often at 2 am. Guess I should be a little more careful.

Sometimes You Get Hit By a 2x4 and Robbed

Girls On Bikes

2009-08-20T11:20:00.003-05:00

Some possibly Dutch girls riding bikes in a gym, doing some insane tricks. The music is cheesy, epic and majestic, in that order. Their skills are mind blowing.

(via Brendan)

Playing with food

2009-08-16T18:06:00.000-05:00

At Panera in Springfield, IL, on the way home from St Louis...

Mad Men is Coming Back Sunday

2009-08-13T12:36:00.003-05:00

I've been re-watching season 2 all week. Here's the show's star, Jon Hamm, explaining how to play my favorite dice game, Threes, on Jimmy Fallon.

John Hughes, the pen-pal

2009-08-08T10:28:00.004-05:00

I stumbled upon this story yesterday from a woman who developed a pen-pal relationship with John Hughes during his directing years/her teen years. It's interesting and very touching. Give it a read if you have 3 minutes. I loved it.

Sincerely, John Hughes

The Michigan Lake Blob

2009-08-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took a (last?) trip to Kate's parents' lake house near Sturgis, Michigan. While prepping the boat for a voyage, Hannah discovered the blob. It was about the shape and size of a human brain. The outside had the appearance of a soft coral. We removed it from the water, dropped it on the grass and proceeded to violently dissect it with a shovel. The inside was a gelatinous substance that had no noticeable odor. Despite suggestions, no one tasted it.

A quick google search of "lake blob" led me to this post about a similar blob. I can see why Chris thought it was full of spiders at first glance. This high res photo is stolen from their lake blog.

Young Hearts

2009-08-04T16:43:00.005-05:00

This weekend someone brought up the Karate Kid soundtrack and the song below. Turns out I had it sitting on my work computer. Thanks Bald E (formerly Bald Eagle)

Commuter - Young Hearts

New Mac

2009-07-30T00:56:00.004-05:00

I got a new computer. I wouldn't lie to you, it's pretty awesome. Check out the journey it took to reach me.

Photo Wrap-Up: 2009 til now - Part 2

2009-07-24T11:53:00.001-05:00

More of my pictures from the early half of 2009. Click to enlarge.

Trying on some shades I wouldn't mind owning

Carmen, showcasing her grill skill. These ribs were some of the best I've ever eaten.

Colin, dog whispering to Munch as Tyler looks on

Stacey's dog, Cydney, after a long day

Mike celebrating his birthday with Ryan and I, among others, at Danny's

I haven't seen Mike do the fake pass out since college, but it seemed appropriate that night

Hannah cutting chives

Someone made this with a stencil and mud

"That Tent" at Bonnaroo

STV SLV of The Hood Internet DJing at Bonnaroo

The hilariously decorated Xbox 360 tent

The result of some nut-job flipping a table full of DJ gear.

Some art at the new Modern Wing

Chris and dogs

The place Hannah and I stayed in Atlanta had this by the front door

Hannah and her brother, Officer Whelchel

The MARTA map. It goes North and South, East and West.

Moss used in the Olafur Eliasson exhibit at MCA

Apparently they're putting on a show

More Palmer Sq Improvements

2009-07-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

On the way out of my place just now I discovered city workers painting lines on the boulevard. Until now each side of the park was five lanes wide, the far left and right lanes used for parking. Most days the middle three lanes are like a highway. On Sundays all the churchgoers turn the middle lane into parking. It's illegal, but since they're going to church they don't get tickets. It infuriates me. Hopefully the new lanes will end that practice since the street will now have parking on the left and right, two lanes for driving and a bike lane to the right of those. Considering how many kids play in the park now, I'd say this was long overdue.

Photo Wrap-Up: 2009 until now - Part 1

2009-07-22T10:37:00.001-05:00

Here are some favorite pictures of mine from this past year. Click to enlarge.

Graffiti outside Schubas

On Schubas' roof

Roan and Hannah

The lobby at Chicago's Civic Opera House during the Andrew Bird show.

Their bar. Seemed very Shining to me.

My parents dancing

My dad shooting pool

The mirror at Rodan

George Clooney at a great restaurant in St Louis. I was embarrassed when my dad was taking this picture and here I am sharing it.

Watching YouTube videos on someone's iphone at Kate's lake-house

Moving day

Bill "Sweet Shades" Jones and Shannon

Pre-Critical Mass

One of many Blago Run stencils around town

So poetic

This dog is adorable and needs a home as he's currently in foster care. My friend was showing him at an event outside Wrigley.

Colorful Jello shots

Smiley and frowny. They make a nice team.

"Instructions for Running A DIY Art Space"

A little boy and his mom outside the Hyde Park Art Center

Part of that same DIY Chicago Space show

Heck, I didn't know they were putting out another album this soon

2009-07-14T15:08:00.003-05:00

New Russian Circles album coming out called Geneva

Details

One of the tracks is called "Malko"

Nice Changes For Palmer Square

2009-07-13T14:40:00.002-05:00

My block finally got the blue bin recycling trash cans. Great news for my neighbors, although I'm still left to deal with my own recyclables since I live in a building with more than 4 units.

They finally took down the fence around the "tot-lot" that the park district was building. It was a huge, over-budget debacle that they spent more than a year on, but I'm actually happy with the result. It's pretty subdued for a playground.

Top Dogs

2009-07-01T10:26:00.002-05:00

These are my friends and their dogs.

Stevie and L.B.J.

Ryan and Malko

Kristen and Seamus

Thanks for hooking it up Erica!

My Trip to Bonnaroo '09 in Motion Picture Form

2009-06-23T16:45:00.002-05:00

I had the fortune of being invited to Bonnaroo this year as tour manager/assistant/all-around helper for my friends in The Hood Internet. It was tons of fun and all went despite a little heat and rain.

Back in 2003 I went as a regular camper. That was amazing, but I'm a little spoiled now so it was nice to stay in a decent hotel and get driven around, eat catered food and drink free. Plus we fly there.

I took Hannah's Flip video camera down there and tried to document the experience as best I could. Out of nearly 60 minutes of footage I whittled it down to 20, using iMovie 09. It's kind of long, I suppose, but I was there 3 nights, so whatever. Enjoy!

My parents, back then

2009-06-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

My dad recently emailed this photo to my brothers and I. My mom followed it up with a little history that I thought was kind of great. Enjoy.

We met in June, when I was 19 and Jeff was still 18 and dated all summer. He went back to U. of Dayton and we kept dating when he was back in town.
The second semester of so the following school year (sophomore) Jeff got a collapsed lung from exhaustion, due to all night poker games, cigarettes, beer, classes during the day etc. I visited him when his parents got him back to St. Louis, to a hospital. We dated pretty much exclusively after that, not counting an occasional breakup for a few weeks or a month or two, when we sampled a variety of other companions.
This photo taken almost 2 years after we met. Jeff and friends had been renting a clubhouse on the Meramec river so we could drink underage. Maybe kids payed something to come to the parties there?? There was always a big crowd, lots of music and dancing and beer, an outhouse, perilous drives home after the parties. Most of us still had curfews back then, so that had to be dealt with in devious ways. Since I was one of the earlier birthdays, I really was a procurer of several six-packs of beer for a few of us. Many of the other kids had fake ID's of older siblings to help out.
The sign behind us in the photo said"Information Center". It directed you upstairs to a sort of attic-like room where we kept our coats. There may have been a mattress up there. I honestly don't think kids used it for anything more exciting, but the possibility was always there. The little clubhouse wasn't heated or cooled well, if at all, so the upstairs wouldn't have been comfortable.
I think we were dancing to that "shake a tail feather" song and having a wonderful time just when this photo was snapped. I love it. We had a lot of fun out there untill we gave it up when most of had gotten old enough to buy beer with our legal id's.
We were married after dating 4 years. Seems like yesterday sometimes. It's been an entertaining life. We're still dancing and we're still crazy about each other.

Heading to Bonnaroo

2009-06-11T12:26:00.003-05:00

I'm going to Bonnaroo tonight until Sunday to help The Hood Internet (and mooch a free trip out of the deal). It'll probably rain the whole time, but we're in a hotel and Bill Jones loaned me his boots, so whatever. This video from Sasquatch fest a couple weeks ago is getting me pumped for the weekend. Try to watch all the way to the end.

Riding on the Trader Todd's Tiki Bus

2009-06-07T20:47:00.007-05:00

Apropos of nothing, and extremely late (these are from April 18), here are pictures from a ride I took on the Trader Todd's Tiki Bus. Due to a compromise based on location of homes and the Cubs/Cardinals game, Hannah and I ended up at Trader Todd's to meet Ryan Keller, Tom, Ryan's wife Laura and their buddy whose name I can't recall (but he was cool). This bar is tiki themed, which means they have a sailboat in the back patio and island themed drinks. They also have a giant pink bus (which used to have a grass skirt) that runs shuttle-style from the bar to Wrigley and back in a loop. Inside is a TV playing, at quite high volume that can't be lowered, a collection of songs culled from Jimmy Buffet's recent Wrigley Field show. The driver has a microphone/loud-speaker setup so he can yell things at people on the street. We had the good fortune of knowing the driver, Dylan, who is one of the funniest people I know. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

It also features a recliner that Tom's enjoying here...

Also, to settle any comments that may mention it, Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds never actually owned the place, but was just the owner/spokesperson for the Trader Todd's Beer and is friends with the owners of the bar itself. This is, according to Dylan, the most common misconception about the establishment.

DJing Friday At Burlington

2009-06-03T18:54:00.004-05:00

I hesitate to call it DJing, but this Friday from 10 until close I'll be at Burlington with my friend-worker, Matt, playing songs I deem "fun" while you all drink. No Cover. Specials are $3 Tecate, $4 IPA drafts and $4 Beam shots (always $2 PBRs too). Won't you join us?

Carmen's Keg Party Pics

2009-06-01T11:40:00.002-05:00

From Saturday's "Final party" at Jason & Julie's. It was a great party, I must say. Non-stop dance party and the cops broke it up (with the help of 5 squad cars?!) around 3:30.

Full set here

Dog Night at the Cell

2009-05-24T11:31:00.002-05:00

Lord Butkus - The 220lb Mastiff
Originally uploaded by froboy

I really enjoyed this fellow's flickr set of pics from Dog Night at the Sox game on Wednesday night. On a related note, I went to the day game on Thursday where the Sox lost 20-1. It was awful and amazing at the same time, but a beautiful and fun day too.

Arizona State Snubs Obama

2009-05-20T15:34:00.001-05:00

Daily Show's take on that absurdity last week.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Arizona State Snubs Obama

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

Thanks Ryan for this one.

ToneMatrix

2009-05-19T13:53:00.001-05:00

This rules. Requires sound and might be better with weed.

Thanks Brendan.

St Louis Style Pizza

2009-05-17T12:31:00.005-05:00

Well, this is informative.

"Pizza is fun. You can put whatever you want on it and nobody's going to tell you how to eat it." Well said KETC. I do miss Imo's and try to eat it whenever I'm in town.

(via Max Wastler and Chris Lewis)

Marissa's Critical Mass Photo

2009-05-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Click to see the big version

Marissa says:

Hey ya'll. I found a program on my computer, "picture stitch" that creates a panoramic image with a few photographs... last time i was at critical mass in Chicago (this summer maybe? I don't remember when it was) i took 4 pictures of Daley plaza.... here they are all stitched together. kinda cool.

Bad Brilliance, Five Buck Club, Dan Deacon Live

2009-05-11T00:12:00.002-05:00

I found this picture in last month's Paper magazine (his story here). This is the same guy I saw outside Beauty Bar in Austin during South By Southwest. Well how about that.

##########

On Wednesday I went to see Adventureland at one of the two Karasotes Theaters in Chicago for only $5. I'm sure I've personally told many of you about the Five Buck Club, but if you see movies in Chicago you really should get on it. It works like this: at Karasotes theaters (Webster 11 and Western 14 in Chicago), once a movie has been playing for around 2 weeks (or if it's bombing) you can see it for $5. The "club" is free to join and you only get one email a week telling you what the $5 movies are. Sign up here.

Oh, about Adventureland: I really liked it. It was from the director of Superbad, so I expected more of that type of humor, but this was much more cute or tender or something. More of a John Hughes coming of age thing, as my friend Jarrett put it, than a Superbad thing. Funny as hell though too. Anyway, check it out when you get the chance. Also, the music was great.

##########

Hannah and I made a last minute trip to Metro on Thursday to check out Dan Deacon and his 14 piece band. Aside from his introductory rant about Metro being "deceitful" about the barricade situation (I imagine it was more of a misunderstanding as they're a very professional venue) it was a very entertaining night. The music was great and, as usual, he told the crowd to spread apart so he could moderate a dance contest or have them run in circles around the soundbooth. All very entertaining, as was the music. Near the end of the show he announced the plan for the human tunnel. Basically two people would create an arch with their arms, then two more people would run through and set themselves up as an arch next to the first two people, and so on and so forth until all the people created a human tunnel with everyone running though. The route started on the main floor, went down the stairs to the entrance, out the entrance, onto the sidewalk, back in through the store, back into the venue, back up the stairs and back onto the main floor. We expected a total failure because the security doesn't permit re-entry, but as far as I can tell they pulled it off. We went outside to get a better view and then left. Anyway, if you have any interest, go see Dean Deacon sometime soon.

Awkward Family Photos

2009-05-08T14:35:00.002-05:00

Kate tipped me off to this blog and it must be shared immediately with you all.
Awkward Family Photos
Nice find.

Take Your Time, Anxiety

2009-05-06T18:53:00.004-05:00

As the world's slowest eater, I'd say this data bodes well for my BMI. (via Kottke.org)

##########

This free to-do list application for Macs really streamlined all my random lists at work. Super simple and integrated with Mail and/or iCal. Thanks for the tip Aaron.

My Breakfast - April 29

2009-05-05T19:22:00.006-05:00

For no apparent reason, here's what I ate for breakfast last Wednesday.

Toasted bagel topped with a slice of honey ham, a fried egg and a slice of Swiss. Other half with cream cheese. Bowl of organic strawberries with milk. French press of coffee.

That radio, by the way, is amazing. I've changed the batteries once in, maybe, 4 years and have dropped it numerous times and use it at least 1 hour a day.

My Nephew, The Latest

2009-05-04T11:42:00.008-05:00

This is my nephew Lennon. He lives in St Simon's Island, GA with his parents Chris and Dawn.

In other news:
-The trip to Kate's lake house in Michigan this weekend was excellent. Saw lots of Amish people, Tom caught a fish, I shot a pellet gun and bought a 6 months supply of pure maple syrup.
-Hannah moved in to my place last weekend. I hurt my back a little, but, thanks to Brendan, as well as Hannah's preparations, the move went smoothly. We're both pretty excited about the whole thing and the place is looking great so far.
-I saw Mastadon last Thursday. I got to go backstage and on their bus and the night was a hoot all around.
-Has anyone been to Five Guys on Clyborn at Webster? That's a great burger. The fries are fresh and come in a massive quantity.
-If you are on Twitter and a political junkie who wants to know some inside scoop on White House activities, follow Mark Knoller. I've really been enjoying his tweets.
-Tom thinks this news of the "ledge" at Sears Tower Skydeck is newsworthy and so do I. Now they'll have something more to compete with Hancock's drink and view deal.
-My first Critical Mass of 2009 was a success. It was short and sweet, but we had a nice posse including Julie, Jason, Jaime, Jayla and a first time ride by Tom (third mention!) and Ryan & Laura Dowling Keller. I took this photo on the early part of the ride while riding using my phone.

The Daily Show in Sweden

2009-04-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

Wyatt Cenac goes to Stockholm to examine their socialist nightmare.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

The Stockholm Syndrome

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

I love Robyn.

Julie's Michigan Video

2009-04-20T12:23:00.002-05:00

Some memories from past trips to Kate's lake house. Nice work Julie.

Schubas History

2009-04-07T16:57:00.003-05:00

So I just went through the list of people who've played Schubas since '94 (they opened in '89) and wrote the names of those I considered "noteworthy". It took a long time, but it's a pretty impressive and long list. The lack of punctuation is intentional and the order is chronological.

****************

the otters dave matthews band junior brown billy joe shaver ben harper over the rhine alejandro escovedo the new duncan imperials peter himmelman john wesley harding rusted root g. love and special sauce freedy johnston dolly varden soul coughing the bottle rockets the old 97's melissa ferrick waco brothers son volt blue mountain los straightjackets susan werner ben folds five semisonic richard buckner dag juhlin loudon wainwright III ralph covert nora o'connor dar williams jazz mandolin project squirrel nut zippers david grisman bela fleck gillian welch the del mccoury band whiskeytown david singer pete droge robbie fulks david gray jon langford eels red house painters zakk wylde martin sexton galactic cake james mcmurtry linda perry low the scud mountain boys freakwater br5-49 andrew bird calexico vertical horizon madeline peroux marcy playground the aluminum group steve frisbee folk implosion wayne "the train" hancock sally timms the gourds jimmy dale gilmore matchbox 20 five for fighting kevin o'donnell ron sexsmith the handsome family mary lou lord casolando buddy and julie miller the black family fred armisen north mississippi all-stars steve poltz train modest mouse califone wheat kelly hogan grant lee buffalo fareed haque ominous seapods alvin youngblood hart tara jane o'neil bill quateman magnetic frields alice peacock mark kozelek songs ohia damien jurado pedro the lion devotchka cary pierce bacon brothers rufus wainwright dark star orchestra bare jr. dorian taj ellis paul devil in a woodpile lucy kaplansky umphreys mcgee disco biscuits new orleans klezmer all stars asylum st. spankers hal ketchum of montreal dido silos tim easton fastball michael mcdermott mason jennings elf power matthew sweet ralph stanley vic chesnutt archer prewitt jump little children alex chilton jupiter coyote lou barlow joan baez grant lee phillips deep banana blackout jayhawks sector 9 apples in stereo beachwood sparks ken vandermark grandaddy sam prekop l'altra nelly furtado tahiti 80 ryan adams josh ritter drive by truckers tim reynolds howie day the dears leroy bach justin roberts joan of arc the samples bruce hornsby john mayer meat puppets cat power poi dog pondering glen phillips mojave 3 danielson family chuck prophet the sadies ok go marshall crenshaw autumn defense nickel creek goldfrapp stars silkworm glen hansard michelle branch lowen and navarro dianogah the national the breeders fruit bats pete yorn bonnie "prince" billie neko case tegan & sara catfish haven the shins duncan shiek 90 day men owls bright eyes ryan cabrera the verve pipe american analog set clem snide destroyer pernice brothers healthy white baby nicholas tremulis down the line chris trapper my morning jacket the album leaf daniel johnston ike reilly norah jones kevin tihista exo azure ray brian jonestown massacre cheer accident the frames owen pinback plastic crime wave sound brendan benson crooked fingers rosie thomas mates of state the m's nels cline webb brothers jay bennett rachel yamagata tift meritt dressy bessy the walkmen french kicks deathray davies rhett miller ben kweller denali rilo kiley hella jason mraz mclusky matt pond pa m ward head of femur lisa loeb metric rex hobart & the misery boys assassins al stewart graham colton detholz frou frou boas nada surf sondre lerche kid koala hackensaw boys kathleen edwards kings of leon trachtenburg family slideshow players ben lee laurie & john stirratt vienna teng the changes the long winters mahjongg harry shearer local h broken social scene electric six jet nicolai dungar ben gibbard hanson the ponys ted leo the redwalls lake trout earlimart kimya dawson the decemberists magnolia electric co. the fiery furnaces jackopierce the wrens crash test dummies the hold steady john vanderslice okkervil river jamie cullum souther culture on the skids marah phantom planet sufjan stevens griffin house GOAt great lake swimmers bob schneider chin up chin up the butchies laura veirs walter meego robyn hitchcock the fray the smithereens colin meloy rogue wave antony & the johnsons kings of convenience kaki king jens lekman citizen cope saul williams black mountain regina spektor ed harcourt neil hamburger russian circles architecture in helsinki dr. dog margot & the nuclear so & so's flosstradamus feist ron sexsmith tom vek clap your hands say yeah wolf parade heartless bastards office art brut bobby conn the 1900's tapes 'n tapes imogen heap kt tunstall bound stems jason molina fig dish anathallo the books flight of the conchords tim fite the brunettes jason collett girlyman maps & atlases band of horses the boy least likely to townshend research corinne bailey ray the ark stay smooth jason lytle silversun pickups aloha headlights matt roan elvis perkins cold war kids asobi seksu tokyo police club dj klever mucca pazza st. vincent david vandervelde midlake loney dear the besnard lakes the whigs nomo klaxons yacht cloud cult ghostland observatory brandi carlile illinois young galaxy yeasayer murder by death white rabbits apostle of hustle the cool kids allá spoon handsome furs bat for lashes a place to burry strangers le loup gruff rhys blitzen trapper the virgins bob mould the hood internet sea wolf vampire weekend the bird & the bee bon iver white williams cadence weapon basia bulat mgmt holy fuck the uglysuit bellx1 beach house plants & animals fleet foxes el perro del mar lykke li langhorne slim born ruffians jimmy webb my brightest diamond

The Future Of Ladies Cycling (NSFW)

2009-04-05T23:09:00.003-05:00

As found here. She's got her biking heels on too.

Good Question

2009-04-03T14:12:00.002-05:00

Micah asked me today,

What was the first movie where you saw nudity, and do you have a vivid memory of it?

I really don't remember, although we both agreed that the nudity in Basic Instinct was pretty important to our fertile young minds. How about you?

SXSW 2009 Part 1

2009-03-29T17:51:00.004-05:00

This last South By Southwest festival was fantastic. It was my fourth time attending and was right up there with my first time. I had a good group of friends, great weather, Hannah came along, our hotel was awesome once again, eat and drank well, scored some free clothes (a Dickies jacket, some Airwalks and a Brooklyn Industries T shirt) and I even saw a band or two. Honestly I could have seen a little bit more music, but I still came home with a renewed love of live music and discovering new bands.

These photos were taken by me, Hannah, Matt, Melissa Fischer, some guy named Ian at our party, and STV SLV.

Chris is a procrastinator and was only able to buy a first class ticket. This is first class on a small plane. Not much bang for the buck.

The view from the elevator at our hotel.

As is tradition, we got BBQ at Ironworks after picking up our badges.

Here's 6th street early in the day. At night it looks like Mardi Gras. It's kind of awful, but a small price to pay for the good times. Some Austin street pics.

Schubas held it's 13th annual Round Up, once again, at Yard Dog. Here it is before the action, with my great looking banner :).

Coordination!

Fauzia looks like she's giving Hannah a piece of her mind.

Steve doing an interview.

Shoes with springs in them. Spotted by Mike Schuba.

Chris/Bald Eagle/the guy that slept on the roll-away in my room for 4 nights.

Megan with Cassette & Count RockuLA's dog, Edie.

Langhorne Slim

Cassette & Count RockuLA

Hannah on the hobby horse.

Party-Boy and I modeling Dan O'Connor's annually produced thrift shirts stenciled with the lineup of the day.

Shepard Fairey was across the street doing a mural for some other party. He was nice and posed with these folks.

The Uglysuit

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Sybris

Lissy Trullie

Moneypenny (Roctapussy)

After the party boss-man-Schuba took us to a fun Mexican meal. Check out Hannah's sunburn.

CHECK OUT PART TWO OF THE TRIP

SXSW 2009 Part 2

2009-03-29T17:50:00.005-05:00

Here's the full list of acts that I saw in chronological order.

Day 1
Harlem Shakes
Cut Off Your Hands
Ulrich Schnauss
Ladyhawke
Boys Noize

Day 2
Schubas party
Joe Pug
The Uglysuit
Violens
Sleepercar
Langhorne Slim
Lissy Trullie
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Sybris

N.A.S.A.
The Hood Internet
Flosstradamus

Day 3
Woods
The Black Lips
M.A.N.D.Y.
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Bird & The Bee

Day 4
Harlem Shakes
Princeton
Popo (this was awful)
Major Lazer
Solid Gold
Thunderheist
The Mae Shi
Bald Eagle
The Hood Internet

Harlem Shakes are excellent. I really like The Mae Shi's show. Ditto for Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Probably my favorite three of the trip.

N.A.S.A.
Nothing spices up a DJ set like costumes and girls painted like Martians.

Segway tour! Seen outside the brunch place we hit Friday morning.

Best Wurst is often called "The Hot Dougs" of Austin because they sell such amazing sausages. I made sure to take advantage and it was all I'd hoped for. The curry-ketchup really takes it up a notch.

Random street marketing. A common sight.

This year we set up SXSW-specific Twitter accounts so everyone I knew down there could just update once instead of constantly texting everyone to see where we all were. Due to an overloaded Twitter and like a million people on the 3G network, it was only moderately successful. It was still fun, however, so if you feel like a "nano-blogging", hour-by-hour perspective of the 5 day excursion, give this a gander.

The set list for the Pitchfork/Windish party at Emo's.

At the Fader/Levi's fort. This Canadian was our friend for a few hours.

Although we hit the hot tub/pool every day, Friday night was the "official" party. There were a good 15 Chicagoans in attendance. No "celebs" this year, but I did see Marni Stern up there the night before. Here's Hannah doing some lunges for some reason.

I can't stress how much better this trip was because of the rooftop tub.

The next Stay Smooth press photo?

There was dude that showed up extremely, dangerously drunk. He went around and bothered the other guests and after nearly exposing himself to our group I called security. It turned out to be the right move because minutes later he climbed on the roof of this 20 story building and stumbled around for a minute. After he made it back down from the roof, security came up and told him people were complaining and he put his clothes back and headed in. His drunk friend then came and acted like he was going to fight our large group of friends for raining on their parade. "I thought this was supposed to be a rock and roll festival?" Nothing happened, of course.

Random costumed dude outside Beauty Bar that night.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart at Emos. Robert Loerzel took this.

Hannah and Inara George of The Bird and The Bee. They came on 45 min late, but it was totally worth it. Super-fun show.

Later that night we found ourselves loitering on the ledge outside of The Omni, watching people go by. It was very entertaining. Kid Cudi rolled up in the Red Bull bus, trying to lure girls on to go to the Red Bull House party. No guys were allowed though, and that was a deal breaker for the ladies so the bus just hung out while Kid Cudi took pictures with random girls.

Hannah and I enjoying the sponsored photo-booths opportunities.

I didn't go to this, but Steve and Aaron hung out all night at the Fort and ended up catching appearances by Kanye West, Common and Erika Badu at the G.O.O.D. showcase at the Fader fort. Metallica also did a surprise performance that weekend at Stubbs the night before.

We ended our final night in Austin with all of our friends at The Hood Internet and Bald Eagle's sets at some place called The Lodge. It turned out to be a great way to close out the trip. Everyone was dancing and Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene was there. He's a Hood Internet fan and freaked when they played their R. Kelly/BSS mashup. It was a pretty awesome thing to witness.

I didn't end up going to a lot of crazy late night parties like last year. The Playboy party was impossible to get into (although apparently not worth it at all) and the Mad Decent party was too far. We did hit the Perez Hilton party, which was pretty cool actually. Free top shelf booze and crazy lights. We were there during sets by Thunderheist (super fun) and Aaron LaCrate DJ'd in between sets. Perez giddily introduced each act before their sets.

So that's that. I had an awesome time and am honestly already looking forward to next year. Thanks to all the people I stole pictures from. Thanks Schubas for sending me!

p.s. Sound Opinions recently did their annual SXSW wrap up, discussing their discoveries. Lots of "in the field" commentary. Check it out if you're into them.

Little Red Riding Hood

2009-03-26T12:27:00.001-05:00

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

"School assignment to reinterpret the fairytale Little red ridning hood.
Inspired by Röyksopps Remind me."

Pretty bad-ass.

P.S. Katy Perry was at Schubas last night hanging out with Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Hannah claims she was a "total babe".

On Hold

2009-03-17T23:35:00.005-05:00

Yes, things have been slow around here. I promise to have some juicy music/travel related posts upon my return from South By Southwest.

Until then, here's track one from the Teen Wolf soundtrack

James House - Flesh On Fire

Firefox Logo

2009-03-12T15:33:00.003-05:00

In my search for an unrelated logo I stumbled upon this recreation of the Firefox Logo...

Ahh, internet.

Business Jargon

2009-03-09T12:50:00.002-05:00

As a follow up to the last post on fun words and phrases, here's a list of business phrases and jargon:

Chime In

Button it up

Streamline

vis-a-vis

punch-list

Reach out aka Shoot an email

let's punt on this

Brendan replied with this when I asked for some favorites he'd heard recently via Twitter:
goanalog @Tsteph Intriguing question, let's touch base on this later on, I'll try not to fiddle-fuck around so we can be at 100% productivity

p.s. One of our bosses actually uses the phrase finger-fuck in a formal business setting, even in the company of ladies, on a regular basis.

p.p.s This related Onion article entitled "Manager Achieves Full Mastery Of Pointless Managerial Jargon" is a hoot.

++++++++++

Hannah felt compelled to contribute her own list of non-business phrases she really liked (but seldom uses):

If I had my druthers

In a coon's age

Ill advised

That gets my goat

The bee's knees

Come again?

Heaven's to Betsy

Nothing to sneeze at

What's good for the goose is good for the gander

Hot beef injection

Rachel Bilson

2009-03-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

What's this broad been up to lately? The Spanish girls set the DVR to record The O.C. so Summer Roberts has been back in my life these last few weeks.

Slow Listening

2009-03-06T16:39:00.006-06:00

This week in the Chicago Reader, music writer Miles Raymer discusses "MP3 fatigue" and the "slow listening" movement. A decidedly first world problem, MP3 fatigue is what happens when a person "breathes in more music than they can breathe out". Most people I know use a hard drive as the shelving of their musical library and, these days, hard drive space is cheap. Many of us are also very good at acquiring music for free. From simply importing friend's CDs to knowing the right search terms to find unreleased albums online, if you know how to use a computer and want free music, it's yours.

MP3 fatigue is something I "struggle" with often. In addition to being a computer savvy music fan with little disposable income and flexible morals, I work in a business involving advance promo CDs and downloads. Basically, if I don't watch out I could be importing a few albums every day. If I don't get to know the album I might as well not have it all.

Anyway, Miles is a much better writer than me and it's an interesting article and the first time I've heard this "problem" offically addressed. Give it a read here.

Personally I find the Party Shuffle feature on my iTunes to be one of the best tools for this issue. Sometimes I have the patience to sit and listen to a whole album from front to back, but when I'm feeling more A.D.D. Party Shuffle helps me get to know my library one track at a time. The context is totally different when a song is preceeded by a something of a totally different genre. On the other hand, if I find myself repeatedly skipping tracks from a certain artist or album, I should probably reevaluate it's presence in my library. The article mentions a former Reader writer who's developed his own, very reasonable, regimen...

For the first 11 months of 2009 he’s holding himself to strict rules: “I’m only allowing myself to download one MP3 at a time,” he writes at slowlisteningmovement.blogspot.com. The next MP3 can only be downloaded once he’s listened to the current one. If he buys a CD, he must listen to it all the way through before he buys another.

What world we live in when such a "problem" exists. Anyway, check out it out. I particularly liked to dialogue going on in the comments section at the end.

my new year's resolution for this year was MORE TIME WITH LESS RECORDS... sadly, it worked for like 2 weeks and then it was over.

another commenter...

I guess I'm the occasional freak. No ipod, never downloaded an mp3. Just buy two cds per month on average and listen to them obsessively in addition to lots of vinyl & mixes people make for me, or bands they recommend that I check out on myspace. I felt overwhelmed just reading about your process, which seems intense.

Notes from Stevie

2009-02-28T16:17:00.003-06:00

Stevie, writing in a email about her Friday night out at a fancy art party (she works at a gallery by day) followed by a concert with her BF. I found it amusing.

posh indeed. re: art party: there was a delicious vegetarian meal and free booze. i was the youngest person there, and after taking a tour of the three story mansion on my own (donald's wife was cool with it), i sat at a table to snack on some nuts. their home is covered in contemporary art, of course, so there was plenty to look at. just then donald said dinner was served and i could start. the director of the MCA along with her husband, another gallerist, and a rich old lady collector sat with me and i got to listen to them talk about, idk, art and old rich people stuff. i chimed in when the subjects shifted to dogs, or patti smith's fashion. haha. i got drunk and had a small coffee and then went to see appleseed cast at bottom lounge. mark did sound for them and it was really fun. i got too high with the drummer and had to miss half of their set so i could sit down, drink water, and eat some fries.

This is Not the Hardware Store Van

2009-02-26T09:16:00.004-06:00

I don't think Stiles would fit on the top of this one.

I saw this at Milwaukee and Logan on my ride home last night. Chevy Aveo or something.

On the Ball? No, not lately.

2009-02-23T13:18:00.005-06:00

Sorry, I'm too busy for this ish some times. I hate when people say "ish" instead of "shit".

Last night I had a total nerd-fest at home by myself. I watched the Oscars with my computer and a pizza and some beers, as I followed along with the Onion's AV Club Live Blog and the Tweets of Diplo, John Hodgman and NPR. It was awesome(ly lame).

If you like Radiohead and Jay-Z, you should stream or download the Jaydiohead album by Minty Fresh Beats. Looks like I found this one later than the rest of the world, since Carson Daly knew about it early last month, but whatever, it's well done and free so check it out. Yeah, I know, Dangermouse/White Album, blah blah. It's still fun if you like the music.

Also, Eastbound & Down on HBO is hilarious.

What's new in YOUR WORLD?

Sleeping Bear Bag

2009-02-19T14:26:00.003-06:00

Someone buy this for me.

Sorry for the posting lull. I'm back on the ball this weekend.

"Quotes" and "Pets"

2009-02-15T23:03:00.000-06:00

Kate told me about a photo-blog called Pets Who Want To Kill Themselves. I'd say these two photos sum the general content. Pretty hilarious.

Steve turned me on to The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. The title is fairly explanatory.

Enjoy.

My Morsels

2009-02-11T10:03:00.002-06:00

My friend Shannon asked me questions about food for her weekly Morsels post on her blog, The City Vegetable.

Chicago = miserable?

2009-02-09T17:27:00.005-06:00

I say no, but I'm a pathological optimist and blind champion for the city. Forbes says we're the third most miserable behind Stockton, CA and Memphis.

Lousy weather, long commutes, rising unemployment and the highest sales tax rate in the country are to blame for the Windy City being near the top of our list. High rates of corruption by public officials didn't help either.

My solution for miserable Chicagoans is to get a job, one that's near your home, and get a big coat. It's just that easy, right? Oh, and a bike. Gotta have a bike.

We can thank Bill "pound town" Jones for sharing this story with me.

I Can Read Movies

2009-02-09T16:05:00.002-06:00

Nice find Steve.
via FFFFOUND!

Her Morning Elegance / Oren Lavie

2009-02-07T17:44:00.004-06:00

Hannah found this music video. Make sure you watch the whole thing.

Favorite Phrases by Tim and STV

2009-02-03T13:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a list of phrases I've been enjoying lately. I haven't necessarily been using them, but thought they were worthwhile for some reason.

What with the economy...

Six of one, half-dozen of another

On the fritz

Posthaste (thanks Hannah)

As you were... (Nick S)

In the realm of absurdity (Nick S)

Let's get down to brass tacks

In various stages of undress (Matt R)

...but I digress

Here's STV SLV's list

How does that grab you?

Too Soon

Pitter patter, let's get at 'er

For all intents and purposes alt: for all intensive purposes

Contrary to popular belief

At the end of the day...

Quick question...

That's beside the point.

Left hand not knowing what the right is doing

Tit for tat

The next round of this will be exclusively corporate speak. Email contributions to Stileswolfmobile@mac.com please.

ps.
Remember when it was this hot in Chicago?

Seriously, Look at This Tattoo Job

2009-02-02T09:16:00.002-06:00

Lil Wayne, you're in the rap game, but you're certainly a rock star.

Obama’s Inauguration as Witnessed by Kelly

2009-01-29T12:30:00.002-06:00

-----------------------------

GUEST POST BY KELLY
-----------------------------

The trip started on a beautiful Seattle day. The sun hadn’t been out in a while and I knew the trip was starting off on the right foot. Here is the view from my friend Susie and Duff’s roof - Brag Alert…

My travel partners were Steve and Susie. Many of you have met Steve from the days of Hippie Kelly and Iowa City visits. Some of you may have met Susie on a visit out here to Seattle. They are two of my very favorite people. Traveling was super easy. There was increased security in Minneapolis as we boarded our flight to BWI but the TSA officers were helpful and friendly. The energy already began feeling Obamarific and only got better as the days went on.

We landed at BWI with our friend Martha’s car waiting for us. Now we just had to find the key..

Lucky for us we have fun friends. Martha and Abbey (formerly of Team Seattle) live in a cute row house in SE Capitol Hill area – they welcomed us from the west coast with a cold keg of Miller Light and lots of friendly faces. We partied till 5am and toasted to the last day of Bush!

Monday was a slow start as we were all hung over from Miller Light. We took a lazy Monday stroll through the neighborhood, visited Abbey at her Hardware Store, and enjoyed a cold but sunny day outside –Whiffle Ball anyone?

After a walkin’ around we met up with Martha at the bar. Martha had just picked up her and Abbey’s Silver Inauguration tickets. They were beautiful. I wish my photo was better quality but check it out:

The president seal was embossed and the ink was shiny silver. SUPER cool.

Here we are the night before inauguration. Everyone is very excited, especially me because now Marissa is with us!! Whoohoo! So great to have an old friend from Chicago with us for the celebration. Everyone loves Marissa – of course.

TEAM INAUGURATION! From the left (back row) Martha, Abbey, Susie. (front row) Joseph, Me, Duff, Kelsey, Stevo, Marissa

We decided to take it easy the night before and rested up for the big day. Slumber Party 2k9

The morning of Inauguration was all about layers. Everyone put on everything they had. We all got outside and some of us went back in for more layers. It was pretty chilly, but overall a beautiful sunny day. Everyone was all smiles, especially because we decided not to get up at 5am like the rest of the 1.8 million. Instead we strolled to the capital with whiskey in our coffee at about 9am.

Our walk with Abbey and Martha ended at the Silver ticket security line and our non-ticketed group headed in the opposite direction of the crowds. Our strategy was to get as far back as we could. Probably the smartest decision we made. The crowds trying to get into the mall area were very very packed. Many times you couldn’t move. Our group headed far and wide. We walked on the closed highway all the way until the exit to the Washington Monument! Headed over and found ourselves a nice big jumbotron to settle in for the show. Although it would have been amazing to at least see the Capitol Building we had plenty of company behind the Monument. I would say there were at least 100,000 people behind us. It was awesome. The folks right around our group were hootin’, hollerin’, high fivin’, and smilin’ from ear to ear.

The BOOs you heard from the crowd when Bush was announced were real and very very loud. The crowd was incredible quiet during Obama’s oath and speech, it was impressive. Then the crowd went wild when we was pronounced the president. We all hugged and kissed and danced around. It was all very emotional.

This dude was awesome. He had a Kenyan flag around his back and was hugging everyone in sight

The walk home was equally as fun as the walk to the Capitol. Once again we took the long around about way. High fivin’ with special police and taking in the happiness flowin’ in the air. Two highlights on the way home were this life size Obama cut-out and a 12 year old with the Obama campaign logo shaved into his head!

That night we celebrated some more at a local bar by Martha and Abbey’s.

It is amazing to see the preserved history of DC juxtaposed with the living history of the week. Welcome Home Obama.

As a conclusion to my post …A picture of DC’s Metro train system. It is impeccably clean, efficient, and cheap. Only 1.65 a ride. They even have carpet and cushions on the seats - What luxury!

Thanks for letting me share. I am proud to have my very first guest blog on Stiles and even more proud to live in a country that can transfer power to a new president with 1.8 million people in a small city with ZERO arrests or major injuries. I miss you all in the Midwest and hope to catch up in the Spring. GOBAMA!

Remuneration: Word of the Day

2009-01-28T12:36:00.004-06:00

remuneration |riˌmyoōnəˈrā sh ən|
noun
money paid for work or a service.

you will receive adequate remuneration for the work you have done

Today was the first time I've heard this one. It's a little fancy. Enjoy.

Charlie Cooper of Telefon Tel Aviv Died

2009-01-27T12:05:00.004-06:00

This is awful news. One of my favorite groups, Telefon Tel Aviv, lost one of it's two members on the 22nd. That's a sad way for me to start the day. Their album came out January 20 and I think it is fantastic. It is called Immolate Yourself. Dammit.

Photo Wrap-up 7.27.08 - 1.17.09

2009-01-26T22:22:00.010-06:00

Outside Weegee's last summer. The crash was loud.

buildings on the way home from Lollapalooza

Hannah found this at Lollapalooza and we carried it around for the day. It's now hanging on her wall.

Sometimes our office gets really crowded. Brendan is a good sport.

A protest regarding Chinese occupation of Tibet in the loop before the Olympics

I bought all these for $75 at a hip garage sale.

Fauzia and I saw these drunk girls at some Good Magazine party.

On the way to Michigan City, IN.

Tim Fite at the Hideout Block Party. Go see him if you get the chance. Such a fun show.

These flowers were sitting on a ledge in my courtyard and they matched Hannah's shirt and jacket lining perfectly.

In Grand Haven, MI.

Micah and Tom had a contest to see who could keep their feet in the cold lake the longest. After about five minutes of cold pain they gave up.

Chicago skyline on a guy's head.

At Lane Tech for the Curie high School football game. Kate teaches at Curie.

My dinosaur sandwich cutter.

This bottle of Planet Hollywood White Zinfandel was about 12 years old. Jason drank some and it was awful and the cork was disintegrating.

Chris and Jesse DJing some strange and almost tons of fun party.

This guitar was in the trash at Palmer and Kimball some night after I got off the bus.

The inside of the Andersonville Brown Elephant.

At a Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! taping at the Chase Auditorium. Dennis Leary was the special guest.

My place before Kate moved out.

back at Palmer and Kimball.

This pipe behind my fridge busted and flooded my kitchen. It sucked, but there was relatively little damage in the end.

Scott Howard's Shoes

2009-01-22T15:16:00.002-06:00

Nike made some limited edition shoes similar to the ones in Teen Wolf. Apparently Scott wears Adidas, but whatever. Thanks to our resident Teen Wolf watchdog Joe for this nugget. There are also pairs inspired by White Men Can't Jump and Hoosiers (my dad's favorite movie).

The Spanish Girls

2009-01-21T18:57:00.005-06:00

These nice girls are staying at my place for a few months. Maria has the darker hair and Laura (pronounced LAU-ra) has the piercing in her lip. They are working at the Spanish consulate in Chicago and are from Spain so they like to stay out late, but they're also intelligent and upstanding human beings. Also, their power converter weakens electronics, so they are in need of an American hair-dryer if anyone has one.

PRESIDENT Obama's New Ride

2009-01-20T14:36:00.007-06:00

Click the image for a large version. This thing is insane (thanks Brendan for finding this).

Sorry I haven't posted much at all lately. Things have been crazy with work and home life. I found roommates though!
Also, Kelly is at the inauguration now and we can expect pictures and commentary from her next week.