The hunger ... getting caught up with RSS feeds and podcast subscriptions.

The hunger ... getting caught up with RSS feeds and podcast subscriptions.


Lately I've gotten really good at keeping up with all of my feeds and podcasts. Extra time at the gym and speed reading have helped sweep all of my subscriptions out of my in-box shortly after they arrive. Because of this I tend to find myself feeling a little anxious when I'm all caught up. I feel like maybe since I have the extra time maybe I should add another feed. Or another podcast. Or both!

And then I say: NO.

Why do I say no? Well, it took me a while to build up my subscriptions to the point where I felt I was covering all my bases without drowning in repeated or useless information. I should enjoy that I've found a good balance, one that allows me to actually consume this information at rate that actually affords me downtime as well. And so should you.

So if you're like me, and finally have your subscriptions under control, enjoy your free time instead of looking for new ways to fill it.

Narcissistic bad boys, I've known a few.

Narcissistic bad boys, I've known a few.

It was just about a year ago that Photogal and I decided it was time to split up. We hadn't been getting along for a long time and we seemed to have exhausted just about every avenue that might lead to reconciliation. It was a difficult decision, and I won't pretend everything went flawlessly immediately post-break-up, but once we agreed it was time to end things we knew we had made the right decision.

Immediately afterward I entered a bit of a "bad boy" phase, induced by the sudden freedom of no longer being with the person I had been with for most of the previous decade plus. In retrospect "bad boy" would be more aptly described as "blindly narcissistic" as I bounced from girl to girl. I honestly liked all of them, but was way too into myself at that point to ever be able to commit to any of them. Luckily for me the majority of the girls weren't exactly looking for a solid thing either.

I've long since emerged from that post-break-up Dionysian fog, but I think that time period may have permanently changed me. I never thought I would be "that guy," yet there I was, acting out the role of self-centered jerk. Because of that I can never really sneer down at some other "bad boy" like I used to because I no longer have the morally clean slate that allows me to do so. I miss that, but at the same time I don't regret anything I did. It was almost as if I'd been laying in a warm pool for years and years, was suddenly pulled out and thrust into an ocean of ice water, and the resultant thrashing helped wake me back up even as it jostled some of the folks around me. I'm thankful for the experience, because I think it helped set me -- shakily at first, I'll admit -- on the proper emotional, moral, and ethical path.

I know, that's not quite the sort of thing you expect from a Thanksgiving Day "what I'm thankful for" post, but there you have it.

O.K, on a slightly related note here is something else I'm thankful for today ... I'm thankful for the fact that the aforementioned catalyst for all off this, Photogal, is still one of my closest and best friends. I think that is absolutely awesome.

Quote of the day.

Quote of the day.

Via DeRo's otherwise off-point Killers review in the Las Vegas Weekly:

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

- Hunter S. Thomspon

My actual friends are on Facebook...

My actual friends are on Facebook...

Because of Facebook I've reconnected with a LOT have friends I had lost touch with since high school and college. I've been trying to figure out why it's happening now and why it didn't happen when I opened my MySpace account years ago, and have come to two conclusions:

1. People are no longer freaked out about social networking.
2. People learned from the mistakes of oversaturation on MySpace.

I think the first point is a given. Heck, one of my friends got incredibly freaked when her dad Facebook friend-requested her, and if parent are entering the realm then it's safe to say it's largely gone mainstream. The second point is a little more interesting to me though. In my case, i have made a concerted effort to only Facebook-friend people I actually know or have actually interacted with. These are people I don't mind having my physical address, or personal email contact information. On MySpace I think there was more of an effort by folks to "brand" themselves. You had people accepting thousands of "friends" who they would then bombard with bulletins and the like. I was certainly not innocent of this, especially at the height of my concert promoting and multiple weekly DJ gigs. As time went on though I learned how to target people I hoped would be most interested in my events ... and once Facebook opened its doors to non-college students I bolted over there.

My MySpace page is still around, but I primarily use it for "Tankboy Brand" stuff, while Facebook is where I actually post stuff I would want to share with my friends. I tend not to accept apps, so despite the few security snafus in that area I feel relatively safe within my community. (Well, as "safe" and"private" as any online community is going to be ... which is to say not very. But I think you get my drift.) If I want to interact with a band or something not personally aligned with me, I really like the Groups Facebook has set up, and I'm curious to see how their Blog Network dealie works. It seems like there's a lot more choice in how you interact with people, and I think that's why I, and so many other right now, are flocking there. And rediscovering each other. And reconnecting. And finally communicating after some lulls of a decade plus.

It's pretty neat.

SOMEWHAT RELATED HILARITY IN REGARD TO THE ABOVE TOPIC: 12 Great Tales of De-Friending

BLUR!!!!!

BLUR!!!!

Damon better not be yankin' my chain, but he's now saying all four original members are getting back together in 2009.

Pickle the Kitten NEEDS this!

Pickle the Kitten NEEDS this!


And oh yes, there are more.

Wading through submissions.

Wading through submissions.

Finally found some time to sort through most of the Chicagoist applications for a new music writer or two last night. I was slightly embarrassed to come across GalPal's letter -- she's already been snatched up by Gapers Block's Transmission music site* -- so it's pretty obvious I'm a bit behind on responding to this batch.

I'm pleased with a lot of the applicants though, so while it means that fewer of the auditioners I try out will actually get in, it means that we'll hopefully be teaming up with some pretty top-notch talent. Also, with SuperBird in grad school, Marcus moved into the Editor-in-Chief position, and Ali tackling more general contributor stuff, I've been carrying the brunt of the musical coverage on the site** ... and it'll be nice to have couple other folks regularly posting on that sort of thing.

Yay!

*Funny story: GalPal applied to write for Chicagoist months before we ever met and I had actually contacted her about auditioning, but she didn't follow through and she admits she "just sort of disappeared on the whole thing." Part of her explanation was that I wasn't pushing her enough to turn in audition posts and my response was that was a specific tactic I use with new contributors. I'm more than happy to offer guidance but, due to the nature of the site, if you're not a self-starter I can't have someone on staff that needs to be prodded in order to provide content. She thought that was sneaky of me but I think it's a valid sorting mechanism. Of course now that I'm bringing on new writers I wish I'd seen her latest application before Transmission snagged her talent!

**Speaking of which, check out my review of Kanye West's latest album.

HAT!

HAT!

Melissa's hat threatened to eat my head Saturday night. And it snagged her a "missed connection." From a dude who can't even spell "fur." Heh.

Happy Monday everybody!

Happy Monday everybody!

It's Monday, and usually that would make me a little grumpy ... but I find it hard to be in a bad mood during a work week that only lasts 2 1/2 days! See? I'm already finding things to be thankful for this week!

How about you? Are you looking forward the the coming holiday mini-break too?

Clinton SoS? Hell yes.

Clinton SoS? Hell yes.

I might be the only one, but I think this news is kind of awesome.

Most anticipated movie of 2009? YES!

Most anticipated movie of 2009? YES!

Mooooziks.

Mooooziks.

This week:

• I reviewed the new Guns N' Roses, but nobody got the joke.
• I reviewed the new Killers, andd there were no jokes.
• Glenn Kotche and eighth blackbird was nothing to joke about because it was AWESOME.
• Seeing M83 and School of Seven Bells tonight, no joke.
  
• Sarah Palin is a joke that just won't go away. please make her stop.

Now listening to: Kanye West's Graduation. Still kind of all sorts of awesome.
Tonight: M83 and School Of Seven Bells at Bottome Lounge. Wear your leg warmers and neon.
To the upper right: Some picture some dude sent me of his girlfriend. Yeah, I have no idea either.

Surprise! I'm DJing tonight!

Surprise! I'm DJing tonight!

I am DJing at Liar's Club tonight with Lisa and JB, and it's our last appearance there in November ... so I really think you should come on out and have a drink with us while making that request for your favorite tune.

You will be at the bar or on the dance floor, right?

You don't want to hurt my feelings by not showing up, do you?

Check out last week's set-list for a taste of what might be played. It was a rock and/or rollin' night, but remember ... it's YOU who decides how the night will go. If folks wanna fill the dance floor we'll certainly accommodate those wishes too!

A really simple way to screw up RSS.

A really simple way to screw up RSS.

I was reading d's re-work of Tony Pierce's How To Blog post yesterday , and one addition he made to the original had to do with RSS feeds. Include the full feed, not just your post title. This isn't 2001 so you can stop freaking out about it detracting from your site's traffic numbers. Look, you're writing this for yourself and you're not beholden to some client or another stuck with the idea that pageviews are the number one way to measure success. You want people to read your stuff, right? Isn't that the whole point?

I've stopped reading a number of blogs because their authors only post blog title to their RSS feed. If you want to stick in the outmoded thinking where the site meter is king than think of my response this way; you just lost a customer.

Betty update.

Betty update.

The anti-bark collar -- knock on wood -- seems to be working. And when I get home she doesn't seem as distressed as before, so maybe everything'll be fine now? I have to admit though, I keep expecting her to figure out how to "cheat" the collar in some way because she's such a smart little beagle!

Chinese Democracy.

Chinese Democracy.

I reviewed Tommy Stinson's side project's new album today.

Haloween 2008 .... suuuuper late at night.

Halloween 2008 .... suuuuper late at night.

Lauren L. took this picture of me between DJ sets Halloween night. Note the toppled table underfoot. She tells a very amusing story about that table that I am not going to repeat here. Anyway, this is a totally hilarious shot.

Quandary.

Quandary.

I'm supposed to see Titus Andronicus tonight at 7:30 p.m. But now I also have an opportunity to see Glenn Kotche with eighth blackbird tonight ... at 7:30 p.m. And, complicating all of that, is the fact that I need to go home after work to let Betty out, so even if I could decide on one over the other the chances I would make either in time are virtually nil!

And later? Burlington or Sonotheque? Sonotheque is overpriced but it's the Pitchfork 500 release party, while Burlington features the nigh-irresistible draw of a drink slingin' SuperBird.

Advice please! Is their any solution to this mess? And why the hell are all these show so goldarned early?!

Spot the photographer: Tankboy at Girl Talk

Spot the photographer: Tankboy at Girl Talk!

I'm in every one of these photos, can you spot me?




Above photos by Will Deitz and Nadim Damluji

And then we have this one my friend Lauren L. shot from the crowd.


Pandemonium all around yet I manage to stand stock still. Now THAT'S talent!

For your consideration.

For your consideration.

The audacity of joke?

New Riverboat Gamblers!

New Riverboat Gamblers!


The Riverboat Gamblers are one of my absolute favorite live acts currently in action and I've been anxiously awaiting their fellow-up to 2006's To the Confusion of Our Enemies. We're all still going to have to wait until March 10, 2009 for the new album -- Underneath The Owl -- but they're releasing the first single for free as of RIGHT NOW. It's poppier than I expected ... download it below!


MP3: The Riverboat Gambler "A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology"

(A warning about the audio quality ... the MP3 is at 192 kbps but I think it may have been ripped by the label at a lower bit-rate judging by the "splashy" hi-hat sound.)

Weekend desk report!

Weekend desk report!

It was a good weekend.

• Betty the Beagle became a subject of fine art thanks to Lauri Apple's "Hipster Animals" series. She will gladly paint your/your friends' animals as hipsters for a reasonable sum. Also, if you can think of a catchy saying to along with Betty's image on a T-shirt let me know!
  
• Ran into unexpected visitors from a town down South and enjoyed spending time with them, although I think they were initially worried I might be annoyed due to the company they were keeping ... which couldn't have been further from the truth.
• The Lauren / Dawn / Jenny Evil birthday party was an unequivocal success, even if I did spend a portion of the evening wandering around shirtless in Keep's sweater vest while he wore my leather. Don't ask.
• Saw Tom Schraeder turn in an excellent set ... I'm beginning to think he might actually catch on with the larger public!
• Slept until 4 p.m. yesterday (!) and then spent the evening drinking wine and watching movies with GalPal. Learned two things: 1. Realized I am no longer as similar -- in the pathetic sense at least -- to the character of Rob In High Fidelity. 2. Just because a movie looks like it has a Flight of the Conchords vibe, that doesn't mean it's any good. In other words, avoid Eagle Versus Shark at all costs!
• Worked out a deal with GalPal ... she'll watch The Spirit and Watchmen with me if I agree to see The Transporter 3 and another movie of her choice with her. Despite her picking out Eagle Versus Shark, I agreed.
• Discovered Treat, this tiny little restaurant around the corner from my place, has FANTASTIC food. Even a picky eater like me was pretty blown away. Highly recommended.
• An extremely old friend I lost track of over a decade ago contacted me through Facebook, reminding me why I love that particular social networking site. It also reinforced my desire to keep that account "friends only" and keep away from bands or people I don't directly know or engage with.
  

The only down moment of the weekend?

• Bought Betty an anti-bark collar Saturday and got an email from the building's management company Sunday that unless things changed Betty would have to go. Hopefully this collar solves our problems. I gave it a trial run before leaving her alone today and it seems to do the trick.I am a bit worried though, since folks complaining are saying she barks for 12+ hours and that's just not possible since I don't leave her unattended that long. I understand people's frustration but wish they'd contact me so I can both personally apologize and outline what we're doing to try and solve the problem.

Livid!

Livid!

Cafe 200 in the Aon building has me so furious right now I can barely contain myself. Three times in the past week I've gone down there at 2 p.m. to get a grilled cheese only to be told by the dude manning that station that they're "closed." Look dude, I've worked in the restaurant industry as everything from a chef to a manager and I know "closed" means you've started cleaning the grill because you want to get out of there. I understand that. But if the cafeteria doesn't close until 2:30 p.m. you can't start cleaning the grill that early! Put away your food tubs and all that other crap, but you can't turn the grill off until the restaurant is closed!

And the fact that management there is so shoddy that this has happened three times is driving me absolutely insane.

So three times in the past week I've stormed out of there and headed to other restaurants in other buildings, even though other stations in the cafeteria are obviously still open and have food. Way to win and keep customers folks.

Insult to injury? Today I walked to a Quizno's in another building, got sass from the chick at the register for wanting a plain turkey sandwich -- we don't make those, she says ... really? -- and I just sat down at my desk to eat said turkey sandwich to find out she smothered it in ranch. Great. I guess I'm eating from the fucking vending machine today.

Watcha gonna do tomorrow?

Watcha gonna do tomorrow?

Hey, check out the hot chick on the right ... it's GalPal!

Hey, check out the hot chick in the middle ... oh wait, that's no chick, it's Tom Schraeder. He's having a CD release party at Schubas tomorrow. You should go check him out.


Afterward head to Quenchers and goose my friends Lauren, Dawn, and Jenny Evil for their collective birthdays.

Well I hope THAT series is over!

Well I hope THAT series is over!

Does anyone else out there have dream series with continuity? I have a few, and none of them are pleasant. Some are about serial killers, another is about a bunch of townspeople intent on my demise ... and all of them are in bright, clear Technicolor.

Wednesday night I zonked out super early, giving my brain plenty of time to torture me. A few months ago I had a dream where I accidentally killed a friend from high school -- don't worry, Mike is still very much alive in real life -- and covered it up by disposing of the body. Well, Wednesday picked up where that dream left off, and included a snooping detective with a nose for the truth. I was put on trial and it was a statement the detective got from my mom that finally did me in and tied me to the death. As i woke up I was on a bus headed to the prison.

I am SO hoping that's the end of that series and it doesn't pick up again!

Riding the karma train ... to a party!

Riding the karma train ... to a party!

The candy in the vending machine on my floor tends to get stuck and doesn't quiiiite get pushed far enough 7 times out of 10.* This of course necessitates putting in another sixty-five cents to buy ANOTHER candy bar and push the first one out along with it. And no, shaking the machine doesn't help. That thing is the HEAVIEST vending machine I have ever come across.

Well, it happened again yesterday, only this time I decided to just leave the candy bar perched on the ledge and leave it as a gift for the next person. Hell, I shouldn't really be eating candy anyway, and hopefully I brightened some else's day.

In other news, I am DJing with Lisa and JB at Liar's Club tonight. We're scaling Bomb Squad appearances back to twice a month in order to get more folks and allow us to really throw a kick-ass party. We've taken the last few weeks off so I think tonight is the night YOU should make an appearance!

*Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder if the dude who stocks the machine is trained to put it in a certain way so that it gets stuck on the way out.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

I was listening to the ol' tankPOD on shuffle yesterday when New Order's "Love Vigilantes" came on and reminded me of one of my least proud moments. It was near the beginning of my relationship with Photogal and it came on the car stereo, spurring her to mention how much she liked the song's happy ending. I corrected her and pointed out that the song in fact had a tragic ending, the narrator was not a hero returning triumphantly home but was instead a ghost lamenting his loss.

The second I said that I realized I wanted to take it back because I had just snatched something that made Photogal happy and turned it inside out.

I regret that moment to this day, and since then I've always thought thrice before disagreeing with someone's interpretation of anything, for fear I'll pop any other bubbles of joy. Who cares if I'm right and you're wrong anyway ... what matters is what makes us happy, right?*

*This is obviously not a 100% blanket statement. If you try and tell me something outrageous like "the sky is yellow and the sun is blue" or "George Bush did a good job over the last 8 years" I'm gonna disagree with you.

New political platform.

New political platform.

GalPal sent me the following video, and elicited the subsequent IM convo.

me: he's my hero! i would TOTALLY pee on grateful dead tribute band fans!

GalPal: HAHAHA

me: that would be my platform

VOTE FOR ME! I PISS ON JAM BANDS!

GalPal: HAHAHHAHA

I can't get enough of this hat!

I can't get enough of this hat!

I know I already wrote about it, but really, you HAVE to stand in awe of the hat!


And this is by far my favorite customer review:

"I have purchased a number of fur hats in my day but this is by far the warmest and most comfortable. Not only does it keep the back of my head warm but you can wrap the legs around your face to block the wind. The only reason this hat did not receive 5 stars is due to the fact that I was attacked by a bird thinking it was wounded prey while I was out for a walk. A rare but unfortunate occurrence when wearing an animal pelt on your head. Also great in the rain. Didn't smell at all after it was wet and it makes a great present. I'm getting one for my wife."

I want!

I am Orson Welles.

I am Orson Welles.

O.K., if you read an article that quoted someone named Security Officer Toodle O'Gill -- and openly said he was made up -- you would realize it was a joke, right?

Um, apparently not.

The jam of the Winter part DEUX!

Jam o' the Winter part DEUX!

Thanks to the wonders of technology I have liberated this track from it's video backing. I played it last night in my DJ set. It was awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, download this NOW!

MP3: Hamster on a Piano

Meta-hipster.

Meta-hipster.

From this week's MyOpenBar newsletter (and if you're not already getting these, you really should, because whoever is doing the summaries is goddamned hilarious):

There will be a live photo booth here so that you can get your party photo taken at the opening party for a show featuring photos from parties taken by party photographers. If this doesn't cause the hipster culture to finally implode under the weight of its own self-referential irony, you'll have to get a picture of your face tattooed on your face just to keep up.

That preview actually makes me wanna go!

Jam o' the Winter!

Jam o' the Winter!


Via Marcus, of course

Lasers and Fast and DJ.

Lasers and Fast and DJ.

One of my new favorite local bands --- Lasers and Fast and Shit -- asked me to DJ at their show at darkroom tonight and how could I help but say yes? Come on down, check them out, and enjoy some fine local music ... and kind of a crap DJ.

Girl Talking.

Girl Talking.


Photos from Saturday's show are on Flickr ... and my write-up and a more targeted set (for those that would rather get a quick fix than wade through dozens of shots of dancing hipsters) is up at Chicagoist [link to come when it goes live at 11:45]. Also check out GalPal's review of the show.

Soliciting doggie bark advice.

Soliciting doggie bark advice.

I got home after seeing Zack and Miri Make a Porno* Sunday night and arrived to find an anonymous note taped to my door. It was a very polite anonymous letter from one of my neighbors complaining about Betty. I'm guessing it's a new tenant and it appears they are home during the days, and Betty is still barking. She had been getting better, especially after I decided to stop crating her in hopes that would decrease her anxiety level, but I guess she's slipping again?

So I've decided that it is time to try an anti-bark shock collar. Nothing else seems to have worked, and while I've been avoiding doing something like this, maybe it's time to just give it a try. Citronella spray collars don't work -- she figured out that they run out after 12-15 blasts, so she'll just bark and suffer through those to empty the collar's canister -- so I need to try something different. Has anyone out there used an anti-bark shock collar before? If so do you have one you would recommend, or do you have a compelling argument why they should NOT be used? I've been doing some research and it doesn't seem like they actually harm your dog, they just offer a little negative reinforcement not unlike techniques you use when training your dog in a controlled class and pull on their leash to snap their training collar, right?

*I'll write about Zack and Miri Make a Porno later, by the way.

Mourning period? I think not.

Mourning period? I think not.

When I sent out a text to my family after Obama's win, my little brother shot back with, "At least we gave you a day to mourn when Bush was re-elected."It was meant to be funny, and it did make me laugh, but since then it has gotten me to think about Conservative reaction to Obama's win. For the most part, I haven't noticed any!

On one hand, I've unplugged from political talk over the past few days -- I just had to -- so I'm sure the 24-hour news channels and talk show circuits are probably still erupting, but fuck 'em, I'm thinking more of the general public reaction. And for the most part it's been muted. On one hand i think it's because most Republicans sort of saw this coming as McCain's campaign continued to crash and burn.

On top of that, things are so bad, I think most Republicans realized that anyone new in the White House would be a good thing. In fact my little brother made a point to me that what worries him most isn't Obama, but the Democratically controlled Congress, and I sort of agree with him. If the Congress can unite and help Obama to push good reform through, that'll be great ... but over the past two years Democrats have shown they can be just as stupid as Republicans when it comes to infighting and stalling each other's legislation in order to gain their own perks. And I am deeply worried about him bringing too many Chicago politicians with him to Washington, since that would be a possibly tarnishing distraction to Obama and provide an air of cronyism and entitlement he could -- and should -- do without.

Back to my main point though, and what led me to think about this in the first place. When Bush was re-elected I was seriously in a state of shock and couldn't at all understand how he got back into office, so yeah, I'm glad that I was given a day to "grieve" back then. However, with Obama's election, I don't think Conservatives need any time to "grieve." They're President and his ideology died a long time ago, and they should be happy that someone fresh and new is on the scene.

Obama can't fuck this country up any more than it currently is ... and I tend to think he might just improve it quite a bit. Even as economic news grows ever more dire, I sense the national mood has brightened just a bit.

BAWK BAWK!

BAWK BAWK!

I live next door to a rooster (or did ... I haven't heard him in a while, hmmmm...) so I find this especially funny.

Gift suggestion.

Gift suggestion.

This is awesome. Make sure you read the reviews for this particular item.

Bad ass motherfu-

Bad ass motherfu-

I'm just talkin' 'bout Obama, man.


Thanks to James for sending me this pic!

Estimate #2.

Estimate #2.

So I got a second estimate on what it would take to get my car to pass the emissions test and it was ... $2,100! I guess it looks like the ol' girl is going into storage for a few months while I try to save the dough to fix her. Ugh.

A message to my immediate family, and my friend Balasz...

A message to my immediate family, and my friend Balasz...

Slightly more thought out...

Slightly more thought out...

So, Obama won. I cried. It might be one of the greatest moments in America's history. So many barriers fell last night, and so much promise opened up. I kept hugging Michelle and repeating how happy I was. She probably thought I had lost my mind.

I remember the first time Clinton was elected. I had the same sense of promise. And of course that promise was never fulfilled. But those were damn good years. We were a stable, hopeful nation. The last eight years have obliterated almost everything we have to be proud of as a country.

ALMOST everything.

Last night, the fact that a divided nation elected Barack Obama in such a decisive landslide (and not to too my own horn, but my count wasn't too far off!) means we've made a huge step to righting the wrong we've done to ourselves and to the world last night.

Will everything change? No. Will most things change? Actually, probably not, not right now. But what is different is that our nation has made a fundamental shift toward looking into the future instead of fearing the residual effects of the past. I didn't endorse Obama at the outset of the Primary season, and the reasons I didn't still largely exist, but I think now that he's risen to the highest office in the land (world?), those reasons are rendered mostly moot and he'll do his best to do right by us and deliver on the burden of promises we've placed upon him and he's agreed to shoulder.

For the first time in a long time I'm actually proud of the behavior displayed by the majority of my fellow citizens.

Well done, folks ... well done.

Photo from last night's Obama speech in Grant Park

Dear Barack...

Dear Barack...


I gave you money. I'm glad you won. But, isn't the campaign over? Why does your final email STILL have a donate button?!

Someone! Change that code!

And now that it's all over...

And now that it's all over...

...let's look behind the curtain. Nice to see McCain wasn't complicit is ALL the campaign shenanigans.

Yes we can...

Yes we can...

Yes we DID!

So glad I went to Grant Park last night.

Today is the day.

Today is the day.

My fellow Americans, please don't fuck this up again.

Get out. Vote. The choice is obvious. Please.


FINGERS CROSSED: My prediction for the Electoral Vote is Obama wins 337 to McCain's 201. (I think I did that math right...)

Halloween house party!

Halloween house party!

Our Halloween party was an unqualified success. Things really picked up after about 1:30 and didn't stop until, um, well after I crapped out around 4:30 or so. My co-DJs Dungeon Dragon and Amber Waves rocked the mixer and kept the kids dancing and drinking, and I think I kicked in a couple choice tunes as well. Super huge thanks to our host, josh, for graciously supplying the space. And a huge thanks to everyone who showed up! It turns out word got out and we were definitely one of THE parties to be at that night. The whole experience reminded me how much I've missed DJing actual parties since they tend to attract such a fun loving anything-goes kinda crowd.

A few photos from the evening...

If you look closely you may recognize a certain DJ in this one.

GalPal was a schoolgirl zombie. I thought her make-up was AMAZING.

I really like these cars. This couple killed me.

Especially when they almost ran over the host! Yikes!

Jesus not only loves you, he's interested in texting you.

JB outdid herself this year. I'm not even going to tell you what she was.

I love how I'm taking a break in this photo but Amber Waves and Josh are beyond pumped in the background.

Our friend was Jem. An incredibly convincing Jem.

DJ Dungeon Dragon ... keepin' it real with a fake belly.

"Hey, like my package?"

More photos of the night here. All photos above by Max Redstone.

Methinks Slate jumped the gun...

Methinks Slate jumped the gun...

So help me God, if Obama loses I'm going to blame Slate for jinxing it by accidentally running stories about "President Obama." We all know media outlets have stories in the can for either outcome, but usually they hold off running 'em until AFTER the election.

See:
The Coming Obama-Press War
and
Memorable articles about an election that is finally over.

Opus finally leaves the building.

Opus finally leaves the building.

I think Breathed means it this time when he says Opus is retiring for good. See where he ends up. It's so heartwarming it even brings a smile to Steve Dallas' face.