tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47108581744227152102011-07-08T00:24:55.946-07:00Johnnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-13363161417665708222009-10-08T10:11:00.000-07:002009-10-08T10:40:36.634-07:00

Well, there she blows: this year’s Halloween invitation for what is - I’m sure - to be an incredibly spooky/horrifying party. Spooky cause Andrew and I now live across the street from a cemetery, and scary cause we’re in Uptown (brava Alderlady Schiller). And although the invitation doesn’t feature a scantily-clad Elvira straddling a pumpkin, I’m awfully pleased with how she turned out thanks to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-23010319431758232482009-08-03T10:22:00.000-07:002009-08-03T11:49:18.487-07:00

What did I do this weekend, you ask? Well let me tell you...Bought a ridiculously under-priced terrarium with a pewter base at the Andersonville sidewalk sale... check.Attended Market Days and managed not to see En Vogue or Jodi Watley perform... check.Finished painting the new dining room... check.Adopted a puppy from a crazy lady in Indiana? Oh yes... check.So please, meet Oskar:Oskar hails

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-77010658143269442792009-07-13T20:45:00.000-07:002009-07-15T10:38:34.244-07:00

Via Undercity August 2 will mark my four year anniversary in Chicago. As of this date I will have lived in a studio that I paid too much for and loved, moved to a one-bedroom that I did not love and susequently left two and a half months later, and currently live in a dirt-cheap two-bedroom in the heart of East Lakeview. Two roommates and one rasterbated horse later, I still love my neighborhood

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-13863577762486410622009-07-08T20:28:00.000-07:002009-07-08T20:35:01.479-07:00

About that dearth of good music in 2009? Oh yeah... problem solved.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-66773918940457433432009-06-29T14:59:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:41:55.494-07:00

Pride '09 has come and gone, but before you go back to your regular routine of self-loathing and pity, let's recap what we're thankful for:4. Rainbow pinwheels.3. Reckless barbecuing.2. Lucite heels!1. A beautiful boyfriend/Having friends who take pictures of you whilst you're licking your chops.But most of all I'm thankful for Cheryl Burton. You see, the guy standing next to us on the parade

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-3378718867474386782009-05-29T10:31:00.000-07:002009-05-29T10:42:29.098-07:00

(via Yelp!)When I first moved here almost four years ago I had all these grand culinary plans of scouring the city to sample some of the best dishes Chicago had to offer. That lasted about four months when I realized traveling on public transportation in the dead of winter wasn't all that pleasant, especially since I had a plethora of affordable Thai places in my neighborhood that let you bring

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-29945187038281116512009-05-21T21:50:00.000-07:002009-05-28T00:25:29.036-07:00

Good God, life can really catch up with you. What started innocently enough on Friday with a Peaches concert at the Metro, progressed to perusing the wares at IML's Leather Mart on Sunday, and ended with me getting all kumbaya with a bunch of lesbians on Monday at a barbecue. I know I should be most ashamed of looking at porn and ass-less chaps with a bunch of strangers on Sunday, but my real

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-33832708599400826792009-05-15T10:31:00.000-07:002009-05-15T10:36:54.275-07:00

I, apparently, only have one reason to blog these days and that involves throwing parties. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that the last time I threw one was a month ago (see: Grey Gardens Premiere Party) and I don't have the resources or the time to be inviting everyone over for crudités and cheap wine once a week. Not that I wouldn't love to, you know.So for those of you

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-36697186629994821052009-04-19T21:55:00.000-07:002009-04-20T05:29:09.444-07:00

Sometimes I wonder why I shell out an exorbitant amount of money each month for cable television and then something like Grey Gardens comes along to remind me that, yes John, it was all worth it. And oh God was it worth it. Needless to say, the Grey Gardens premiere party went off without a hitch and despite not everyone being entirely familiar with the Maysles' 1973 documentary, everyone - I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-53582784520654018182009-04-16T20:05:00.000-07:002009-04-16T20:25:39.587-07:00

Okay, it's not me - though as anyone who's been to my house knows, that rasterbated horse is pretty fierce - but my complex and multi-talented boyfriend! This is part of Apartment Therapy's Small Cool: 2009 competition and as with any competition worth entering, there's a prize involved, so please go and vote y'all:Link to Andrew's Beauty-ous ApartmentThe voting's only open for 48 hours so I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-7534493041248849472009-03-29T20:29:00.000-07:002009-03-29T23:12:12.061-07:00

Bougie, adj.Anything that is perceived as "upscale" from a blue-collar point of view. 'Bougie' is a hacked truncation of the word Bourgeoisie, which refers to the middle-class in Europe, but refers to a more affluent class level in the United States. See also, "Wine-Tasting Party".I'm fairly certain I earned my bougie ribbon this weekend when I attended a wine-tasting party complete with a

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-76472513769370224092009-03-27T14:36:00.000-07:002009-03-27T14:46:22.204-07:00

Above is a picture of what, I'm sure, will one day be the interior of my sitting room. My jaw literally dropped when I saw this picture owing primarily to a deep-seated but as yet unfulfilled need for John to paint his walls black when he was 13. I'm glad my parents didn't let me go that route, however, since I'm fairly certain I would've neglected to include the tasteful tone-on-tone stripes

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-37945569651415367022009-03-14T16:10:00.000-07:002009-03-14T16:16:41.524-07:00

Daley Plaza - March 13, 2009, 5:10 PMI hope you're not viewing this on a full stomach. And this may or may not have just become the top reason I need to eventually move away from this city.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-37134869572538571452009-03-12T22:03:00.000-07:002009-03-12T22:33:52.171-07:00

Get ready to have your fashion block knocked off with this one:Yeah, I know it's all in French but you get the gist... I'm just glad that I understood over half of it as I find that proof positive that my six plus years of French language education did not go to waste - Thank you Mme. Cohen!This is one of the more exciting trailers I've seen in the new year and pretty à propos considering that I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-34191709067720994642009-03-08T21:09:00.000-07:002009-03-08T21:18:52.420-07:00

While it may be a little (read: a lot) presumptuous to post pictures of birthday gifts on a blog, I just wanted to thank everyone who bothers to read this for their exceeding generosity. Just so ya know, I had a great birthday, I'm a lucky young man and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-15800267186264979002009-03-05T05:10:00.000-08:002009-03-05T05:13:01.298-08:00

This is the attitude I'm shooting for today. And for life in general:

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-39741527878667809932009-03-03T10:01:00.000-08:002009-03-03T10:24:01.991-08:00

Oh, to be twenty-one again.Today's that auspicious day when I officially say goodbye to my mid-twenties and hello to my late-twenties. I'd be a whole lot more excited about this if I hadn't become a giant consumptive in the last couple of days. Seriously, when I started coughing in the shower the other day and spit up a little blood, my first thought was, FUCK. That is exactly what happens to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-19970320572166978352009-02-21T14:34:00.000-08:002009-02-21T15:09:18.653-08:00

Wow, the Oscars are already upon us and I have yet to get all excited about arbitrarily selecting winners. That's probably because this year's nominees are even more uninspiring than last's - Slumdog Millionaire anyone? Nevertheless, I'll persevere by locking my "wants" and "desires" down for all time on this here blog. Side note: I got a ton of shit last year for not having seen all the movies I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-89260757160369602982009-02-02T22:21:00.000-08:002009-02-02T22:34:57.726-08:00

Sometimes you try to be clever on your blog because you know friends and family and god knows whomever else will be reading it, and since it's basically just an extension of your ego, you really want them to know just how witty and spectacular your ego is. And then you realize your most popular post is based upon a chat you had with your twelve year-old cousin. Granted, she's a pistol, but

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-38794057543532500572009-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:002009-01-24T13:21:12.656-08:00

Did I mention who I ran into this week? I had my third bizarre celebrity encounter in Chicago on my lunch break when I was walking north on Dearborn and ran into none other than Tibor (otherwise known as Boris McGiven from Connie and Carla!!!He's, of course, been in a boatload of other things, but he'll always be Tibor, the goon with a heart of gold who discovers his love for musical theatre

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-83616450331542431062009-01-24T12:52:00.000-08:002009-01-24T12:54:23.930-08:00

I know what I'm doing this weekend.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-16807327563930221282009-01-23T14:16:00.001-08:002009-01-23T16:06:55.908-08:00

I just bought a box each of Thin Mints and Lemon Creme Delights from a mom at work. Jealous? She's taking order for her daughter through next week.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-24823642783311664002009-01-23T08:12:00.001-08:002009-01-23T16:16:14.707-08:00

I have a real problem with American Apparel. I don't know how, like, T-shirts and spandex leggings became a look. I'm old enough to have seen that era the first time around. And I didn't like it the first time. - Parsons graduate and former White Zombie bassist, now fashion designer, Sean Yseult

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-75243341601478339152009-01-21T21:42:00.000-08:002009-01-21T21:53:21.813-08:00

I am not ashamed to say that I bought this album when it came outIs it wrong that I find it intensely satisfying that the K-Wang has only been scrobbled around 200,000 times on Last FM?I could tewtally do this danceI'll just take it as a sign of my superior musical taste and inability of the internet to defile all that is virtuous in this world.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-36604232296363864272009-01-20T09:35:00.001-08:002009-01-20T09:35:51.053-08:00

If ever I had any doubts about anyone's political affiliation at work, I can now safely say I know who the liberals are. We all just left a conference room a little teary-eyed.   Yes we can!

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-8795330030823134742009-01-20T08:42:00.000-08:002009-01-20T16:16:44.480-08:00

Happy Inauguration Day! As anyone who's been following along will know, I've long been an ardent Hillary supporter, and not that I'm not thrilled to have Obama in the White House, but I've just discovered the real reason the next four years (hopes eight!!!) are gonna be good times: But while our president-elect, seated stage right, showed steely resolve by nodding and singing along through even

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-54172912721143750592009-01-18T20:46:00.000-08:002009-01-18T21:06:16.576-08:00

WHY didn't anyone tell me that Parker Posey was in Blade: Trinity?Thank god I figured this out though. It's the only thing that's going to get me through to the next season of True Blood. And let's not get started on the fact that my faux-sister is in this,and Ryan "Yowza" Reynolds,AND Natasha Lyonne as a blind girl!Evening complete!

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-60665910213458240702009-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:002009-01-18T12:57:32.770-08:00

A friend and I were brainstorming a few ideas for Halloween costumes today and I think I've got my shortlist down:Scooter, The Muppet ShowAlthough I think I don't want to be Scooter so much as I want to own that jacket.Alan Bradley, TronThis is total pipe dream, but Bruce Boxleitner was really, really hot back then.A Doozer, Fraggle RockThis costume would definitely fulfill my hat requirement,

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-64158486685580652682009-01-16T10:24:00.001-08:002009-01-16T16:47:14.790-08:00

Photo: Robert GauthierIt is a sad, sad day. Planes are falling out of the sky, Andrew Wyeth is dead, and so is Indie 103.1. Indie was by far my favorite radio station in LA and was one of the few things that kept me sane back in the day when I was schlepping film around for Pacific Title. I'd be stuck in traffic on the 101 trying to get back to Hollywood from a run to Warner Bros. or Universal or

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-65806635084901636442009-01-15T21:08:00.000-08:002009-01-16T16:46:11.740-08:00

The internet just got a whole lot better now that I discovered my soon to be 12 year-old cousin is on Gchat! I seriously just had the best chat ever with her which either speaks to my emotional retardation, or the fact that chat modules can only be effectively mastered by 12 year-olds. You be the judge:Hey Molls, don't run away or anything, but if you come to Chicago, I'll let you dye your hair

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-75244401213231462722009-01-14T20:39:00.000-08:002009-01-14T20:50:11.699-08:00

Since Chicago has decided to bite my face off with sub-zero temperatures, I decided to post the only thing more inane than this weather: Nancy Kerrigan ice skating to Hot Fun in the Summertime.Oh Nancy... you are a living embodiment of my state of mind right now. I especially like how you start out with the lawn chair on ice but it totally makes you look like your spinal cord was just severed and

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-53609622967751620402009-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:002009-01-12T17:13:07.257-08:00

Photo: David Benjamin Sherry“It’s like blackface to me … it’s a continuing Hollywood minstrel show, co-opting queer stories and perversely building up the careers of these heterosexual bastards with the plumage of effeminacies, that they can wear this plumage of effeminacies without having to really be accountable” - Antony Hegarty on Sean Penn's turn as Harvey MilkI have to say I was really

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-58778457725447999132009-01-10T11:19:00.000-08:002009-01-10T11:43:32.262-08:00

Sometimes I wish I lived in Austin:via Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Mondo TeesIf it weren't for the stupefyingly hot summers and abundance of republicans, I might just give this one a go.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-64900467532034944382008-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:002008-12-19T21:59:20.519-08:00

Ryan, Jack and Micki just workin' some occult shit out.What do I love most about the holidays? Getting to come home and remember all the crazy shit I used to love when I was a kid, but have since forgotten about while living an "urbane" life in Chicago. That's why Bonnie and I are watching Friday the 13th: The Series right now on the "Chiller" Network. For those of you who missed out on this gem

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-22775524023133128822008-12-14T18:54:00.000-08:002008-12-16T21:27:40.596-08:00

10. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb LineI'll be the first person to admit that I won't be listening to Ra Ra Riot in a year's time (with the exception of Suspended in Gaffa, this generation's answer to Hounds of Love), but I appreciate that this band was able to do exactly what Vampire Weekend did. Only better. V Weekend's been on my shortlist of bands to drop-kick since late in 2007, and when they

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-57261784219704117942008-11-19T18:25:00.000-08:002008-11-19T19:39:02.547-08:00

Right about now I'm halfway through In Search of Lost Time which I embarked upon for a variety of reasons. I kept reading other books that referenced it then I read the quote somewhere which goes something like "You know you've reached middle age when you realize you will never finish In Search of Lost Time." Well, since I am on an eternal quest to deny that I will ever become middle-aged, that

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-31696597115966381382008-10-12T17:49:00.001-07:002008-10-12T18:04:57.670-07:00

Above, you will find a picture of what I did this weekend. It's the Richardson Corn Maze in Spring Grove, Illinois near the Illinois/Wisconsin border. It is, allegedly, the largest corn maze in the world which I'm inclined to believe since no one people but Americans would spend that much GD time figuring out how to carve donkeys and elephants out of dead agriculture.I remember when I was a kid,

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-1346045228572593552008-09-25T20:51:00.000-07:002008-09-25T21:00:25.126-07:00

Well hello there! It's been oh over a month since I've posted on here which has happened for god knows however many reasons (new position at work, training new employees, ensuing exhaustion) so I thought I'd return to form with something not too hard to wrap your head around. See, this is little girl from Deary, Idaho as photographed by Kevin German. She's holding on to her favorite chicken. His

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-8120749719706308732008-08-08T09:06:00.000-07:002008-08-08T09:21:18.192-07:00

Fancy headdresses get me every timeThe Olympics start tonight with what is undoubtedly the best event of the entire two week ordeal: the opening ceremonies. Sure there are the real events like track and field, diving, and gymnastics - all awesome in their own right - but tonight is all about pomp and circumstance and ridiculous nationalism mixed in with some hideous costuming-by-country. I have

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-39021508813205090002008-08-05T20:36:00.000-07:002008-08-06T05:05:45.957-07:00

With each episode that airs of Mad Men in its, as of yet, lackluster second season, I realize more and more that Christina Hendricks is the only reason to continue watching. Pete Campbell makes me want to gouge my eyes out, Don Draper is continuing his one note brooding with no signs of letting up, and Betty Draper's meltdown/arc is taking too long. Sure she'll be living on a commune in Fresno

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-1660852930983400702008-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:002008-08-03T17:24:36.410-07:00

After Friday's boo hoo of a post I thought I might let y'all in on what's been making me happy this weekend: Enter Connie y Carla:This clip is à propos of everything since I also went to see Chris & Don: A Love Story at the landmark yesterday. The connection being, Christopher Isherwood wrote The Berlin Stories, which was made into I Am A Camera, which inspired Cabaret, which featured Maybe This

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-66645009590496317412008-08-01T16:55:00.000-07:002008-08-02T10:21:34.278-07:00

via: rjseg1It is so fucking hot outside right now that I think I might combust. Lollapalooza is also going on in Grant Park and the thought of being out there with all those hot-sweaties makes me want to wretch. This, despite the fact that I spent most of my Friday thinking about how I was stuck inside a climate controlled high rise and couldn't go to Lollapalooza which was happening mere blocks

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-18891563150664714462008-07-29T05:05:00.000-07:002008-07-29T05:09:42.785-07:00

Although I am loathe to post pictures of lolcats, this guy deserves special attention. I'm also convinced that if I ever did get a kitteh, I would find him doing this to me on a regular basis.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-18146365150727572812008-07-25T18:00:00.000-07:002008-07-26T09:15:59.450-07:00

Coincidences are funny for the following reason: "Simon & Schuster has filed two separate suits in NY State court against female rappers Foxy Brown (Inga Marchand) and Lil' Kim (Kimberly Jones) for books they did not deliver. The publisher says they paid Brown $75,000 in 2005 for an autobiography due on February 2006, and that they paid Lil' Kim $40,000 in 2003 for a novel that was due in June

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-81100561917725251752008-07-24T19:44:00.000-07:002008-07-24T20:29:52.322-07:00

Living situations in flux suck, plain and simple. This is what I've had on my hands since the beginning of July when my beloved Kay-Kay told me she was moving in with her girlfriend and another mutual friend. Knowing myself, I would've expected to have been a LOT more upset about this particular turn of events, but I feel like I've been oddly Zen about the whole experience. Yes, it does still

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-51698654390659693392008-07-21T21:25:00.000-07:002008-07-21T22:17:11.702-07:00

My shoe is invisible!For this very special 100th post on Baptized In Gin, I'm going to focus on how Pitchfork Music Fest was a big douchey letdown. I wish I had better news for such an auspicious occasion, but such is life.This isn't to say that the fest is without it's good points - I did get a really unbelievable Dolly Parton screenprint and a ridiculously awesome drawing of a giraffe eating a

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-89399337198507222332008-06-28T09:38:00.000-07:002008-06-28T10:20:32.805-07:00

I know that posts comprised entirely of video clips are infinitely lame, but since I'll have so little time this weekend to write anything coherent, - what with my busy schedule of drinking in public and avoiding romantic ruination - this post will have to be just that: a sampling of clips that make me proud I have a gay sensibility. Not that you actually have to sleep with your own gender to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-64999793727833928232008-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:002008-06-16T21:45:09.404-07:00

!SPOILERS AHOY!Trees are made of... evil?I was on the phone with my sister yesterday and it seems that we both spent our respective Father's Day weekends celebrating in the best way we know how: by going to see summer blockbusters of questionable merit. While I went to see Iron Man and was pleasantly surprised, Bonnie took in The Happening and was left feeling more than a little ambivalent about

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-82612890264336549552008-06-15T20:12:00.001-07:002008-06-15T21:38:27.927-07:00

I just finished watching the Tonys and it got me thinking about how stupid it is that major awards shows happen on Sunday nights. Sometime in the late nineties the Oscars moved from Monday to Sunday leading just about everyone else to follow suit which is LAME! Sundays are for dreading the week ahead and trying to rehydrate in time to look halfway presentable for work on Monday. Award Shows only

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-35814609865042432782008-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:002008-06-12T08:27:51.197-07:00

This is really sad news. After virtually an entire day of being away from the internet, I come back to discover that the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow screening of Dawn of the Dead at the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh - where the original film was shot some thirty years ago - WAS CANCELLED. I wasn't even attending this thing and I'm bummed out. We all know that it would've been packed to the

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-89379062662468814072008-06-10T09:53:00.000-07:002008-06-10T11:39:06.565-07:00

(Via LOV-E)Yesterday a lovely reader left a comment on here while inebriated which is something I can only encourage. When your blog is titled Baptized In Gin it's fitting that you'd attract people who have a healthy love affair with all things boozy. Hell, even if you have an unhealthy relationship with the bottle, I openly welcome you. Plus, my writing is probably funnier and more entertaining

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-20799742427181037502008-06-05T12:39:00.000-07:002008-06-12T21:38:18.132-07:00

(Via angstidentprone)Remind me to never again read a David Sedaris book on the bus.I picked up the new short story collection When You Are Engulfed In Flames on my lunch break yesterday, and eager to break that baby in, I cracked it open while I was on the 156. I don't even take the 156 home normally, but for some unknown reason I thought, what the hell?Big mistake.I actually got a seat towards

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-27110699070144825842008-06-04T12:58:00.000-07:002008-06-04T13:09:04.275-07:00

(Via NY Times)Boo Hiss to the democratic machine! I mean, had Barack-Attack been campaigning in any other year, he totally would've been my homeboy, and even though I will be voting for him come election day, there's still a bad taste left in my mouth. Things we know: Hillary is a far better communicator than Barack who, in the span of an average stump speech, manages to fill inter-galactic voids

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-67798012045728012392008-06-02T11:26:00.000-07:002008-06-02T11:34:26.396-07:00

Via NY MagLeah and I went to see the biblical epic called Sex and the City yesterday and I could give a longish review, but considering the level of vitriol aimed at this movie over the past week, just suffice it to say that I liked it. My one problem with this movie is that there's a barely audible racism that suffuses nearly every moment of film (see: Charlotte won't drink the "dirty" water in

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-2160670837662051702008-06-01T23:10:00.000-07:002008-06-01T23:30:03.302-07:00

While the world tries to determine whether or not the Sex and the City movie actually killed Yves Saint Laurent, I'd like to tip my hat in my own small way to a man who was, how do you say, a genius.“I have known fear and the terrors of solitude. I have known those fair-weather friends we call tranquilizers and drugs. I have known the prison of depression and the confinement of hospital. But one

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-87216183644891639492008-05-28T12:33:00.000-07:002008-05-28T14:15:45.316-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate waiting. I consider myself a fairly patient person, but this doesn't mean that I'm not also secretly plotting your demise if you're taking too long in the self checkout at Jewel. But waiting, of course, is pretty much a given when you're traveling which is what I did for most of my Memorial Day weekend. The flight from O'Hare to LAX is a little over four

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-88289752642590441142008-05-22T12:43:00.000-07:002008-05-22T12:50:10.334-07:00

In a few short hours I'll be off to visit the family in California and attend my friend Mike's wedding. Here's to hoping that I won't be forced to do the chicken dance, and also that the above doesn't happen. Oh 1994, you were a guileless mistress... Wish me luck!

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-70616817920903804992008-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:002008-05-21T12:19:40.825-07:00

Last night I helped Brian move into his new apartment... AT 10:30 PM... which would've been really bad had it not been the easiest move in the history of all easy moves. He asked me the other day if I had a lot of stuff when I moved to Chicago, to which I replied no, but when I saw his Chevy Astrovan not even 3/4ths of the way full, I knew that I was both a packrat and a liar.We finished up

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-85829042340991250422008-05-20T13:57:00.000-07:002008-05-21T08:23:19.051-07:00

Do their tummies hurt, or is it just the movie?I write this just as I'm emerging from the haze that's been hanging over me all day long. Said haze can be directly attributed to Monday morning's fiasco wherein I woke up to get ready for work, started taking a shower, and then decided I had to get out of the shower post haste because I had to vomit up a wicked little mixture of Italian ice and some

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-37958510564478676912008-05-13T16:19:00.000-07:002008-05-14T12:27:04.824-07:00

Oh, Hai There!My how time flies when you're not blogging. I haven't posted in a week and I think that's the longest I've gone without doing so ever since I started this personal experiment / exercise in self-wankery way back in January. Last week was l-o-n-g as in I thought I might atrophy at work and I was trying desperately not to get sick. My coworker let me in on her stash of Zicam which she

Johnnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-90018103047199901732008-05-05T21:33:00.000-07:002008-05-05T22:40:37.402-07:00

This is Piper Perabo at last night's Costume Institute Gala at the Met. And yes, this is the same Piper Perabo who just a few short years ago was wistfully writing songs on the roof of her Chinatown tenement in what I like to call that movie with Tyra Banks and the really hot Australian actor who never went on to do anything, or as others might know it Coyote Ugly:Now, I realize we all go through

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-23705952643942398472008-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:002008-05-01T12:56:36.598-07:00

Chip Kidd never ceases to amaze me... I will be him in another life.And, uh, Martin Amis isn't too shabby either.From Publisher's Weekly:The title is incendiary at best, whereas the subtitle is superior in that it is crass and intriguing; we're glad all the type on the front cover is left the same size. We're also amazed that it was set in white on a light background, at such a small size; a

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-12530281252442568232008-05-01T08:18:00.000-07:002008-05-01T08:21:13.657-07:00

Hello Internet. In case you didn't know, today is Leah's birthday!This photo was taken outside the Dior exhibit at the Chicago History Museum a little over a year ago. Isn't it amazing how young and fresh we all were back then? My how the last year has aged us.Anyways, Happy Birthday baby!Style for style,-"Richard"

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-47519811681358092992008-04-30T09:21:00.000-07:002008-04-30T09:54:30.955-07:00

I need to stop writing about The Teenagers lest this place become a fansite. Consider this the last entry in my Franco-pop obsession... at least for a while.So Jason, Brian, and I went to see The Teenagers last night at Abbey Pub and I am now officially smitten. As much as I am loathe to admit this, I bought their brand of lithe, pseudo-earnest electo-pop hook, line, and sinker. If they were a

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-72616044206003524652008-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:002008-04-29T14:14:04.890-07:00

A couple of things I'm really excited about right now:Tonight:The TeenagersYou can't imagine my anticipation at hearing these guys over-enunciate English words.Next Week:The Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute GalaTheme this year? Superheros: Fashion and Fantasy. umm, who gave the Met my number because they've most certainly got it. This is the one New York society event that I would kill to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-87780324237567291062008-04-27T14:16:00.001-07:002008-12-09T09:10:14.186-08:00

Just like Tyra says, we're all smiling with our eyes.Last night was Leah's birthday party at Holiday Club. I think we keep going back there because it has a B&W photo booth and well, you just sort of want to take goofy pictures when you get drunk and you remember you only have maybe ten good years left on you. Then you cry into your piña colada.What could've been a total disaster when we found

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-17473776875881899732008-04-26T16:38:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:10:14.342-08:00

Let the "shitting a knife" searches begin!I really should send Tina Fey a thank you note for this.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-85396864014193715742008-04-23T22:53:00.000-07:002008-04-24T07:11:10.936-07:00

So I got my grubby little mitts on Madonna's new album and while I'm not blown away, I'm not entirely disappointed either. Clearly her best tracks are those done with Pharrell, but what I'm most excited about is a song called Dance 2nite - pardon the #2 - since it features a sample of Teena Marie's I Need Your Lovin'!!!Say what you will about Teena Marie, but it's pretty GD à propos of Madonna to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-28327475075544643892008-04-23T09:20:00.000-07:002008-04-23T12:09:40.367-07:00

I thought I'd dress up for this most auspicious of days.The last time I was an administrative professional before today was way back in 2006. At the time I was working for a boss who regularly strolled around the office telling people he felt poopy in between taking swigs of this weight loss / detoxification elixir that he bought over the internet for some ungodly amount. If memory serves, I'm

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-49506772450927493312008-04-22T12:36:00.000-07:002008-04-22T12:37:21.807-07:00

Let's pour a little more salt on this wound:The Nisei Lounge and Copyranter are no more.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-25242798305823201812008-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:002008-04-22T12:25:16.835-07:00

Van Gogh's Postman was, I'm sure, much kinder.I'm going to preface this by saying that I realize that the incident I'm about to recount isn't really that big of a deal, but after a morning where I had to listen to my co-worker scream at his bank about overdraft charges for a half hour (I feel ya brother), and because I've had something stuck in my right eye all day long... I want to cry right now

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-49924601923112058162008-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:002008-04-21T09:18:12.542-07:00

I just booked my flight to go home on Memorial Day weekend. It's an incredible relief since I've been putting this off for about a dozen reasons, but mostly because I didn't want to shell out the $350+ it was going to cost me. Luckily I found a pretty sweet deal which has me flying into LAX - thank god as I'm sick of Long Beach and its rinky-dink airport - and this trip also has me visiting

Johnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-27451369043765004362008-04-19T12:17:00.000-07:002008-04-19T12:18:13.426-07:00

Hot Chip post below; now with pictures!

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-52007802642797781172008-04-18T14:19:00.000-07:002008-04-19T12:00:53.799-07:00

If this is true, I am so uber sad right now. Not that it wasn't bound to happen or anything since no one, not even the British, can sustain this level of pop fantastic-ness.From PandaToes:...prepare to have your day ruined: the Pipettes are, in all practicality, breaking up. RiotBecki and Rosay are peacing out to do what they do (make music elsewhere, I guess). R.B. never was my favorite, but the

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-19377229085588096212008-04-18T08:38:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:10:14.666-08:00

This photo's blurriness matches my impaired judgment last nightQuick post today because I am dying right now. Remind me never to go to a Hot Chip concert, followed by a Hot Chip DJ set, and then attempt to show up to work the next day at 8am. hhmmph... sadness mixed with pain... Last night was phenomenal though. Hot Chip rocked me severely, but I was a little befuddled by the crowd they attracted

Johnnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-67336531775910690262008-04-16T12:19:00.000-07:002008-04-16T20:11:34.360-07:00

Never one to shy away from awesome displays of bad taste, like the lovely confection seen above, Southwest Airlines is slated to bestow Illinois with the latest in their series of planes honoring each state:That's, umm, really nice Southwest. Thanks for thinking of us. Can't wait to see California's entry with a giant picture of a bear mauling the plane.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-86266633595552005342008-04-15T20:45:00.000-07:002008-04-15T21:39:33.437-07:00

This past weekend Leah and I went to see Flawless which I've been strangely dying to see ever since I first saw the trailer for it months ago. It's been available on my On Demand since the beginning of the new year because it's a Magnolia picture and they have that jacked distribution schedule which allows for simultaneous releases on multiple formats... Talk. About. A buzz kill.Anyways, my

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-8546435528461381052008-04-12T14:23:00.000-07:002008-04-12T15:34:57.018-07:00

Read a book, read a book, read a mutha-fuckin' book.I wanted to put a really awesome picture I found of Julianne Moore in all her naked glory at the top here, but that would probably get this site marked as "adult" and it's really not at all relevant to this post.All is dreary here in Chicago, but it's been a good day none the less. This morning Brian and I took in brunch at Orange and I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-10563744055160295572008-04-09T12:56:00.000-07:002008-04-09T13:02:36.804-07:00

I got somethin'a say.Last night Leah and I went to see a preview of Tina Fey's new movie Baby Mama at the AMC River East. The movie started at 7 which left me virtually no time to go home after work and it was really disgusting weather out yesterday, so I didn't feel much like taking in a movie. But after some dinner at Pompeii on Ohio - did you know they'll soon be offering a full wine and beer

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-82829540232756584372008-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:002008-04-10T11:31:59.048-07:00

I have such a profound love / hate relationship with the San Fernando Valley, one that in many ways owes much to the movie Valley Girl which turns 25 today. I am 26, making me just over a year old when this movie came out and ohh how it has haunted my every interaction with persons not from Southern California and sometimes, yes, even those who are from the Valley. For years I resisted the

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-17961570149916559432008-04-05T18:58:00.000-07:002008-04-06T12:33:34.657-07:00

My friend at work and I have this running joke that if anyone over the age of 40 asks one of us what kind of music we listen to, we say: Rock and Roll. It's just too daunting a task to try and explain to someone who probably doesn't really give a shit the myriad vagaries of music that is not Top 40. I'll be the first to say that I have a bias towards all sounds electronic, but the first quarter

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-84486220219955759392008-04-04T00:34:00.000-07:002008-04-04T11:51:33.696-07:00

Don't you like my kicky new magenta pantsuit? I call this my "weekend look".I have today off under the auspices that I'm doing my taxes, which is completely true, but I also decided to take an entire "personal day" just because I've been feeling more than a little put upon at work lately. There's some jacked up situation going on with the phones that we just discovered yesterday, which explains

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-1874825512331914812008-04-03T14:19:00.000-07:002008-04-03T16:44:27.736-07:00

Last week the NY Times book blog, Paper Cuts, had a post on the seven deadly words in book reviewing. Generally, I agree with what they had to say - that poignant is incorrectly used all the time, that eschew sounds clunky when spoken and leads to its overuse in the written word, that there's been very little lyrical writing since the 19th century - and I was surprised to find myself so free of

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-67200875317492056692008-04-02T14:17:00.000-07:002008-04-02T14:21:35.097-07:00

I have been seriously derelict in my self-imposed blogging duties and while there's part of me that's happy about that since it means I've got stuff going on, there is also part of me that's dismayed since this is one of the only forms my writing has taken in about the last two months. I had lunch with a coworker today and we talked about doing what you love which, admittedly, I'm not right now,

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-56360121480697413722008-03-28T12:08:00.000-07:002008-03-28T17:26:24.675-07:00

First Coachella goes down the shitter and now this?!?! How is this even possible? Oh and, uh, hey dirty hipsters: Time to start memorizing your Public Enemy and Mission of Burma lyrics...FridayPublic Enemy performing It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us BackMission of Burma performing Vs.SaturdayAnimal CollectiveJarvis Cocker!!!Vampire WeekendDizzee RascalFleet FoxesNo AgeJay ReatardKing Khan

Johnnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-89539701403026488732008-03-28T09:51:00.000-07:002008-03-28T17:27:21.366-07:00

This week at work we've been interviewing (and by we I mean my boss and accounting, but I don't mind getting all Then We Came To The End every once in a while) applicants for an accounts payable position that has been vacant ever since I started. There's been a temp filling in who I feel they should just give the job, but whatever, maybe she doesn't want it or maybe they don't want to give it to

Johnnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-87874336513236509652008-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:002008-03-24T22:30:32.885-07:00

B and MeI have nothing to write about today except that I am bored out of my mind. I won't complain though since being employed and bored is way better than being unemployed and bored. I spoke with my sister yesterday who had just as much of a piss-poor Easter as I did... scratch that... B had a worse Easter than I did since I have the excuse of being removed from my family by 2000 miles and I

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-19706982130932229792008-03-23T13:36:00.000-07:002008-03-23T14:35:18.730-07:00

It's Easter and my feelings about that can best be summed up by the blonde kid on the far right. Anything remotely resembling a celebration of today's holiday was done yesterday by Leah and myself at Uncommon Ground and involved drinking bacon-infused bloody marys. We were both intensely underwhelmed by our libations - let's tank these and order a regular - but I was most upset that mine didn't

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-5245289810303224822008-03-20T19:14:00.000-07:002008-03-20T20:18:31.718-07:00

I went to Urban Outfitters today during my lunch break and while I was able to refrain from buying anything - she is a tawny gypsy temptress - I did have the pleasure of running into this kid who looks suspiciously like the lead singer of Black Kids. My internal reaction to this guy is precisely why it pains me a little bit every time I see photos of this band. In my head I'm screaming, Get a

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-84252060021379250662008-03-20T12:44:00.000-07:002008-03-20T12:48:16.045-07:00

Yesterday my boss asked me outright if I was Catholic. I don't actually mind questions like that since I think everything is pretty much up for grabs, but I was sort of taken aback because of the way it was presented. She first started out by asking me what my special weekend plans were (is getting shitfaced an option?) and I was sort of confused because I didn't "get" what was so special about

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-38879102111559184982008-03-19T21:31:00.000-07:002008-03-19T22:25:45.291-07:00

Okay, so maybe that's not entirely true. I've always maintained that I love Mirajah if for no other reason than she is the hottest of hot messes. Hell, most of my friends know that if I was a fully-functioning heterosexual, lady would be high on the list of people I'd take to the boneyard. However, Rich from FourFour puts a whole new spin on Mariah's appeal with this vid-jo:When I first started

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-55807521510578883362008-03-19T11:50:00.000-07:002008-03-19T13:23:09.045-07:00

Oh. My. Gawd. This may be even better than the maps exhibit that ended at the Field in January. Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids brings out the twelve year-old nerd in me so hardcore! Be warned; you might just wet yourself.The exhibit runs today through September 1st. Tickets are $22 adults, $19 students, and $12 children. Go.

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-61991952265988258652008-03-19T04:54:00.000-07:002008-03-19T05:09:39.685-07:00

Belated birthday greetings are the best since they can extend your birthday festivities exponentially. In this department, I can rely on my mother's sister to supply every year. My birthday was on the 3rd and I, just yesterday, received a card from her. Awesome. I'm not being facetious about this either. Okay, maybe the first year it happened it kind of bothered me, but now I've grown to love

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-77613036111096001582008-03-18T16:15:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:10:14.950-08:00

Ooof. This one hurts me almost as much as it does Alison Goldfrapp, but Crystal Castles is so inching up the charts to compete in the deathmatch that will be best album of 2008. I say this today since it's the official release of CC's album even though its been available on the internet for, like, ever. Air War is, without a doubt my favorite track on this album. Or maybe Courtship Dating... ooh

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-8815571562531196722008-03-17T20:12:00.000-07:002008-03-17T20:55:05.933-07:00

I have no desire to turn this into a political blog - And how. Could. I? - but I do think it's worth noting Kate Zernicke's article in the New York Times yesterday. Basically it asks the question, is postfeminism a reality and if so, how is it possible to maintain this sort of identity in a political climate where women continually get trampled by the media/public opinion/whathaveyou. This

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-5264748984417637412008-03-17T15:34:00.001-07:002008-03-17T15:53:44.309-07:00

Friday night Leah and I went to dinner at Cesar's where the food was, as usual, unremarkable, but the margaritas upheld their title as nectar of the f-ing gods. I sort of wanted to make this weekend an anti St. Pat's/Latin rebellion fiesta since St. Patrick's Day is such a joke what with the Irish being completely assimilated in this country as of about six decades ago. However, I just made due

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-51808026215659842592008-03-14T08:29:00.000-07:002008-03-14T08:34:14.156-07:00

I had an excellent trip home last December. It was the first time I was there for over a week and didn't want to murder everyone by the time I left. If there was a low point to the trip however, it was probably when I went to see Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd at the Cinerama Dome. The dome, as usual, was great; the film, was wretched. I cannot remember the last time I fell asleep during a movie -

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-17055358751687386152008-03-13T20:14:00.000-07:002008-03-13T20:40:03.037-07:00

Okay, so this song is a little old (end of '07), but I thought about it today since it was so GD beautiful out. I know writing about the weather is pointless, but for those of you not in Chicago, we've had a giant shitstorm of snow the last few months, and this song makes me happy to be alive:Dragonette - I Get Around (Midnight Juggernaughts Remix)*I first heard this song when I listening to the

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-35655945246558338992008-03-13T18:12:00.000-07:002008-03-13T18:46:21.084-07:00

Queen Elizabeth had issues with dating too, so she used big maps instead of the internet.I am on a catering ROLL at work this week. My boss wanted pastries delivered for the staff meeting yesterday, and since there are approximately 35 Au Bon Pains within quarter mile of my building, I had them deliver various artery-clogging delectables so that we might eat them while watching Powerpoint

Johnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4710858174422715210.post-84988195254311440022008-03-11T16:00:00.000-07:002008-03-11T17:09:06.789-07:00

I was on the phone with my sister last night, who was catching me up on her latest boy drama - I literally hear ya sister - and we also shared some vile comments about this douche bag she once dated who is apparently on the verge of going down in flames courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department. I never liked the guy anyway so you'd think I'd take more joy in his tail-spinning out of control,

Johnnoreply@blogger.com1