Hotel Tomo

Bonsai!

Freakin appropriate for a hotel in Japantown.
Anime theme!
Love the giant bean bag. It had a tag that says "Fatboy." (Regular-sized and fat girls can sit too)
https://secure2.securewebexchange.com/fatboyusa.com/store/original.php

A San Francisco Treat

I had a San Francisco treat this weekend that was NOT Rice-Aroni. And no cable cars. Just hung out for a few days for the Outside Lands Festival.
Took these from Lafayette Park. You can see the Bay and Alcatraz.

ugly

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/18/australia.ugly.women.ap/index.html

Outside Lands

http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/schedule/

WHO SHOULD I SEE?

http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/artists/

ESPANA!!!

Coffee

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/health/05brod.html?em

Coffee is good!

tax bullshit

I think it is bullshit that I pay tax on a fucking gift card!  So what, you get charged tax AGAIN when you use the card???Anthropologie...no more gift card purchase from me.

Ikea Name

SYEETIELLÖUKÖRNDÖRD

http://www.blogadilla.com/swedishFurniture/swedishFurniture.html

Lolla Day 3

NIN

Nine Inch Nails.  Total downer group but awesome show.  Trent Reznor is hotter with meat on him.  

The Machine Rages On

Buckingham Fountain made it easier to meet up with people.  AT&T sucks so much.  They sponsored the biggest stage there but couldn't give good cellular service.  I didn't have it as bad as others with AT&T, but I have to bitch.  Austin CIty Limits Festival last year was plagued with the same thing.  Soo...you had to make prearrangements.  Can't deny that the Chicago skyline as a backdrop to music made the music even better.

Rage Against the Machine was fiery.  We stood deeper in the crowd than Radiohead.  A little scary for this old girl but the crowd stayed in check where we stood.  Almost 2 hours of angst and powerful words and music.  It was by far the best show the entire weekend.

Lolla Day 2

I wanted to see MGMT, but the opportunity to see Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein) and his rumored special guest Slash. Well, we waited for almost 30 minutes and got nothing. Then they announced the special guest was Samantha Ronson...fucking Lindsey Lohan's girlfriend. We had to tell the people around us who she was. We left for food. Apparently, the show was pretty uneventful chock full of sound problems. Perry slammed a bottle of champagne at the very beginning. Slash made it out to the last 20 minutes of the set.

Afterward, I saw all of Lupe Fiasco from the Lolla Balloon on the South end of Grant Park. My bladder full of wine made me miss Superstar.

RATM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratm

"Sleep Now in the Fire" video shoot

On January 26, 2000, filming of the music video for "Sleep Now in the Fire", which was directed by Michael Moore, caused the doors of the New York Stock Exchange to be closed and the band to be escorted from the site by security,^[53] after band members attempted to gain entry into the Exchange^[54]. Trading on the Exchange floor, however, continued uninterrupted^[55].

Footage of enthusiastic Wall Street employees headbanging to Rage's music was used in the final video. "We decided to shoot this video in the belly of the beast", said Moore, who was threatened with arrest during the shooting of the video because Moore failed to get a permit.^[53]

Lollapolooza Day 1 - Friday.

Mate of State - they were ok.  Good way to start the festival

The Raconteurs - the guy with the blond curly hair could double as Justin Timberlake.  Enjoyed the show.  Nice that the sun started to go down at this point

RADIOHEAD - Fucking great.  Sat kinda in the back away from the insanity.  The fireworks display with Fake Plastic Trees...PERFECT.

Rage Against Dirty Hands

This was a sensible music festival.  Toilet paper, relatively short porta potty lines and hand sanitizer to boot!

Drum Corner

Last night I met up with some Austinites in WP.  Told them to tell the cabbie North Ave, Milwaukee, & Damen and to meet by the Bank of America (formerly known as Filter).  Couldn't really meet on the corner b/c of the drum circle with patchouli and all.  And it wasn't just a drum they were beating on.  The performance also included the sounds of sticks hitting an OLD TV.  By 3AM, they were definitely gone.

Harbor Light Triathlon in Waukegan

Well it was a true Tri.  The plan was to run with 2 friends who were going to do the swim and bike legs of the Tri.  However, we got there at 6:45AM.  The bike was suppose to be at the transition place at 6:45AM.  The person swimming wanted to try and make it to the start of the race (it was a mile walk from the  parking lot) by hopping on the bike and ditching it by the water.  There wasn't any talk of where to find the bike but hell, it was worth a shot...However, the bike had a flat.  Oh well we tried!

Storm

Last night pin point Doppler was right.  A storm from the west did come in.  Good thing the we didn't hit Movies in the Park at Grant Park.  Blues Brothers according to my BF is something I HAVE to watch.  This is coming from someone who hasn't been to a movie theatre since the first of the Star Wars Prequel.  If I were standing when the storm front came in, I would have been knocked over.  It made doors slam, wall art fall, papers fly.   

Granite Counter Tops!!!

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is considered especially dangerous to smokers, whose lungs are already compromised. Children and developing fetuses are vulnerable to radiation, which can cause other forms of cancer. Mr. Witt said the E.P.A. is not studying health risks associated with granite countertops because of a “lack of resources.”

Wow...I had no idea. Anyway, I'm sure I get exposed to things worse than this.

Twin Tuition

Check this out. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/education/edlife/27twins.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Thought this was interesting especially since 2 of my first cousins have a set of twins.

Wicker Park Fest

Spent some at Wicker Park Fest today with the BF and my sister and Homey. Very different from the Wells Street Art Fest. At Wells Street, you get your typical drunk young people walking their dogs and pushing their $800 strollers. You will find the same at Wicker Park Fest except on the small dog leash you have an iguana. Her name was Percy. She climbed the trunk of a tree in the grounds of Wicker Park. It's not a chick magnet like a lab puppy! It got a lot of attention though. Too bad I didn't have an iPhone to capture the moment. But there was an emo guy who could have passed for a homeless dude who whip his iPhone out to snap a pic.

Oh yes, I did. I wikipediaed Wicker Park: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Town%2C_Chicago#Wicker_Park

Shirts BACK ON!!!

There's a store not far from me called Shirt Off Sheffield.  It's a side store to the original Shirts On Sheffield that is actually on a street called Sheffield.  Well, it looks like Shirts OFF Sheffield is going...going...gone.  I saw a SHIRTLESS fat man in the window of the store...DUDE...put your shirt BACK on!

Risks with Leftovers

I love Joy's Noodles.  Esp the Pad Woon Sen with tofu.  When I go, I peruse the menu, but this is my usual.  And I take half of it home.  Well, I really wanted to eat it last night (Sunday) but it's been in my fridge since last Wednesday around lunch.  Hmmm...4 days of fertile grounds for bacteria.  It was sweeter than usual so it's just as good as a petri dish. Not the best thing to eat...I wanted it so badly. 

 

Instead I ate the following:  a 2-egg (whites only), with kale, salt, garlic powder on a fat-free Central Market flour tortilla.  It was sufficient. 

Euro 2008

Final Score: Euro 2008 Final — Germany 0-1 Spain

 

Soccer is a "hot man" sport! 

 

The New York times has an official soccer blog called "Goal."  http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/sunday-germany-vs-spain-in-euro-final/index.html?ref=soccer

 

8 years ago this weekend, I was in Amsterdam with my Bizarro during the Euro 2000 games...I miss the cheese.

Pride Parade

I am missing the Chicago Gay Pride parade today because I have to work. I would have had the best view from my living room window just off the parade route.  On my "commute" at 6:30AM, I saw bright-eyed people out setting up tents with snacks and booze.  2 tents in the Treasure Island parking lot.

 

For those still asleep, I saw another parade.  It's kinda quiet and unannounced.  On Fullerton, there were about a dozen tow trucks all in a row each with 2 different cars on the bed and in tow. 

 

The floats are much more interesting in the Gay Pride Parade.

Monroe Harbor

A little shakey, but what can you do with 2.0 megapixels on a phone on a sail boat? 

Peanut Allergy

For lunch today, the subject of immunizations came up. It's fitting topic of conversation for a pediatric nurse (me) and a pediatrician. We were at a Thai noodle place in the neighborhood. Anyway, I wondered if peanut allergies were common in Thailand b/c it seems like such a big deal here. I told my friend that I would inevitably Google this question. And this is what I found:

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/05/18/peanut.allergies/index.html

Adding to the confusion is that in countries like Indonesia and Thailand, where peanuts are ubiquitous, there is virtually no peanut allergy, leaving the experts to concede they really don't know for sure why food allergies are on the rise.

Addison

I took this last night while waiting for the L.

Bigger Bites

First beer I had at Small Bar on Division St.  I used it to wash down pizza I promised to eat less like a chipmunk.

Bocce

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocce
Last, Saturday, I played this for the first time. Bocce. Can't say the lawn met Bocce regulation. Ha. Lawn bowling of sorts. Kinda like that bean bag toss game, "Bags," they play around here in Chicago.

Without the Jacket

I read the hardback copy of The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld without the jacket. Why? Because it sounds like a "chick book." I kinda don't like to read those often b/c they start to all sound the same. And I think it would either freak the BF out or he would poke fun at me. I took a liking to Prep and thought I'd like to read another book by Sittenfeld. Man of My Dreams was a good read. The heroine, Hannah, is a totally believable character that is relatable in one way or another. It was a fast read but not because it's simple writing, but because you want to know what happens next. I gravitate towards books, shows, movies that are set in the following cities: Austin, Chicago, and Boston. And ding ding ding, Hannah goes to Tufts, visits her cousin at BU and spends 4 years post-college in Boston.

Houston

See...Houston isn't too bad...I just can't live there
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-windfall-witt_23jun23,0,4422376.story

 

tacos

2 free tacos for those who commute
http://www.jackinthebox.com/twofreetacosday/

Andrea Mitchell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Mitchell
She's married to Alan Greenspan. That's so cool. Ok, so he's some old dude. But he's a powerful old dude.

While looking her up, I found this website: http://www.nndb.com/

NNDB is an intelligence aggregator that tracks the activities of people we have determined to be noteworthy, both living and dead. Superficially, it seems much like a "Who's Who" where a noted person's curriculum vitae is available

Cupcake

I continue to promote my love of the cupcakes at the Southport Grocery and Cafe. Vanilla or Chocolate...it doesn't matter. I love them both. Independent from the icing, the cake stands out. It's moist and delicious. DAMN, I wish I could find a picture of them.
I wouldn't deny myself one from Sweet Mandy B's

Hate Swirls on Belden
Hate Cupcakes on Briar

Ambivalent to Molly's Cupcakes on Clark

Have never had one from Dinkel's

Cherries

Cherries..they're $2.99/lb at Jewel and Treasure Island. I've just purchased 5lbs for personal consumption to last me the rest of this week.

sweetyellowporn??

Japan?!  It makes sense that I saw a Japanese tour group seat half a theatre at a sex show I saw in Amsterdam in 2000.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815509,00.html?cnn=yes

...the country has seen a surge in demand for pornography that has turned adult videos into a billion-dollar industry, with "elder porn" one of its fastest growing genres.

Farewell Hawaii

This is a painting of Captain Cook's arrival to the Hawaiian Islands.  I always assumed that the man on the left corner facing us is saying "Yeah!  Ass Crack!

 

 

The Killers

I'm still amazed by the Killers. They are from Las Vegas?! Brandon Flowers is Mormon. Can't say I know of any other Morman frontmen. 90% of their songs are good songs...lyrics and music...freakin good. I downloaded Sawdust and I've developed my favorites one being Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf and another being the Dire Straits cover Romeo and Juliet. But this list is still fresh (and so clean, clean) and will change from day to day. BTW, I through out the numbers 90. Shit, it could be 100% or 93.4%.

Phil Lesh Tickets - Chicago - Northerly Island

Trying to help someone out...

I'll take the best offer..............email sweetyellowcorn@gmail.com

Phil Lesh and Friends
Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, IL
Fri, Jun 13, 2008 05:00 PM


Seat location: section 101, row M, seats 20-19
Total Charge: US $ 161.37

Lesbos, Greece

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-greece-lesbian-fight,0,6656384.story

 

ATHENS, Greece - Three islanders from Lesbos told a court Tuesday that gay women insult their home's identity by calling themselves lesbians.

 

My favorite quote in this article:

 

What will they do next, sue the United Nations? They, too, use the term lesbian," Vlami said.

 

 

Unaccustomed Earth

This is a really good book. It's depressing as hell, but you can't help but keep reading. Very beautiful writing. It's a series of short stories that would make great longer stories. She know just where to end things and make you ache and want more to read. Like all her other books, It made me feel so guilty for not calling my immigrant parents more often. The first story in the book made me call my dad. The last 3 stories were the best. WTF. No happy ending in sight.

Sunday Reading

I read a crazy and disturbing article on Albino's in Africa while working at the hospital yesterday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/world/africa/08albino.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Many people in Tanzania — and across Africa, for that matter — believe albinos have magical powers. They stand out, often the lone white face in a black crowd, a result of a genetic condition that impairs normal skin pigmentation and strikes about 1 in 3,000 people here. Tanzanian officials say witch doctors are now marketing albino skin, bones and hair as ingredients in potions that are promised to make people rich

.

Affordable Portables

I just walked by AP on Clark...they're loading wooden furniture into trucks...A dresser got a little scratched up...they've got the Orange Glow or whatever wood spray to cover up the scratches. Awesome. It's like the Market Place on Diversey...the produce guy isn't hiding the fact that he's removing wilted leaves and stuff from the produce.

BUST THEM

Oh HELL YEAH!  Bust them! 

Hey drivers, you are already SITTING!  We are WALKING!  Why don't you tap your break to slow down and let us walk...BEE-OTCHES.  The white paint on the ground = CROSSWALK.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crossing-sting_07jun07,0,7822062.story

 

In an effort to improve safety and promote walking with gas prices surging past $4 a gallon, police officers dressed as civilians will step into crosswalks at two busy Northwest Side intersections as cars approach.

Drivers who don't give the right of way to these pedestrians will be issued warning citations. Real tickets will follow as the campaign is expanded to other locations, including the downtown, officials said.

 

 

Liliuokalani

Aloha Oi (Farewell to Thee) was written by Queen Liliuokalani, the last Monarch of Hawaii. Apparently she was so troubled by the fall of the Monarchy that she penned this song. There was another Queen there who did the same...I learned this all on my trip to Oahu in May...she was also moved by something else and decided it's worth penning a song.

What do you think moved Flo Rida when he wrote "Low?"

Frozen Fish Pond

C'est Belmont Harbor. I took this past Spring when I went running. Everything has defrosted and all the green that could possibly come out in Chicago is in full bloom. Now you can see fish in the harbor. Strangely, you can find big gold fishes swimming by the docked boats. These are the types you see in people's private garden ponds and yes, the ponds in chinese restaurants. I don't love these fishes b/c they're probably not so delicious.

Back That Ass Up

It's 2:44AM and I'm organizing my iTunes. I wanted to correctly label "Back That Ass Up" so I Googled it. This is what I found on Law.com:
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1106573712927

Positive Black Talk Inc., et al. v. Cash Money Records, et al. plunged the conservative appellate court into the world of booming bass lines and popular street slang.

Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King, who wrote the opinion, boiled the case down to a dispute between Louisiana rappers Juvenile and D.J. Jubilee over who owned the rights to a song "that included the poetic four-word phrase 'back that ass up.'"

I love the law.

Monroe Harbor

Took these picture from the Alba in Monroe Harbor. I ate a brat from the boat's grill. The boat has a cute little grill!? I don't even have a dresser.

Apparently, I've been missing out on the tasty goodness of bratwurst for the last 30 years. The errors of my youth. As a recovering vegetarian, I am wiser now. Still hate hotdogs.

Hold On To Your Children

You can see this sign at the Addison Red Line stop - Wrigleyfield. I like how it's a woman who has to "hold on to your children." The sign is fine because if you've ever been there on game day you may lose your child in the crowd or worse pick up a random child. But it implies that it's a woman's job. It really should get the attention of a man. A good mother would without reminder hold on to their child as part of the maternal instinct. Or maybe this is a social commentary on how there are more single mothers around.

Not For Sale

I got an email from someone who wants to purchase sweetyellowcorn.blogspot.com.

It's not for sale.

I'm flattered that I got an offer. It served as a reminder that I've been neglecting my sweetyellowcorn. I've eaten more corn this so-called "summer" (It's CHICAGO) then I've posted.

I should put the ear of corn down and get back to blogging.

bike

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/27bikes.html?em&ex=1209528000&en=e96dfe185ff29d7d&ei=5087%0A

 

I like this idea.  Hope they have bikes for people my height.

eat locally?

We should stick to a bratwurst and Rosen buns... to help the environment, oil dependence, and stuff

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26food.html?em&ex=1209441600&en=018b6220dd84c295&ei=5087%0A

 

Under a little-known international treaty called the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed in Chicago in 1944 to help the fledgling airline industry, fuel for international travel and transport of goods, including food, is exempt from taxes, unlike trucks, cars and buses. There is also no tax on fuel used by ocean freighters.

cowgirl

Allen Boots on South Congress 

Austin, Texas....DUH!

ZAAAP!

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/australia-takes-on-laser-lunatics/

Shamrock Shuffle

Shuffle good. Drinks better. Cold day!  Much deserved victory drink.

critters

Daniel Boone on the 36 Bus

From the UT Tower

Kosher

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4444839.stm

"You Suck" List

1)  Best Buy - This past Saturday, I went with the BF to Best Buy in Lincoln Park to look at DVD players.  His current DVD player isn't working that well, but what can you say about things you buy out of the trunk of a car in Logan Square.  So he buys one.  Bumping it against things on the Red line is standard.  He said it felt like the DVD moved around a lot in the box.  Surprise, surprise...in the box is the DVD player, nicely placed in a Walgreens bag (this IS inside the sealed box).  It had some scratches and some fingerprints made by greasy fingers!

 

2) Comcast - An appointment was made to get the cable looked at and fixed.  Comcast called to say that they were coming in an hour...only they never showed up.  So when I called Comcast the next day to bitch them out, they offered me $20 credit and said the would call in an hour to tell me if a repair person could come out that same day.  No one called.  So I called again in full bitch mode and they hung up on me!  So when it came time to talk to the Supervisor, he said that he could only offer me a $12 credit for the days of cable I didn't get b/c I (me) wasn't the one availbale for THEIR next appointment. 

it's a holy day, everyday

HOLY HOLY!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7241296.stm

The products included a "Virtuous vanilla" lip balm and a "Get Tight with Christ" hand and body cream, featuring a picture of Christ flanked by two adoring women.

Super Tuesday

Participating in history...4th row from the Barack Star...

Standing for over 4 hours to see this man speak in person was well worth it. Phenomenal speaker. And I bet it's not going to be all talk when he's the President.

oink oink

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-lechon_08_bothfeb08,1,4852170.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

points to ponder

Even though the thought of another political dynasty in office (Hillary Clinton) kinda makes me sick and that I love Obama, I would love to have a female president.  Below is a link from my favorite NY Times Op-Ed Columnist.  The blurb below that is from the link.  Thought it had some interesting points to ponder.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/opinion/07kristof.html?em&ex=1202619600&en=0ada286aade52b12&ei=5087%0A

 

Another way of looking at electability is to wonder whether it's more of a disadvantage to be black or to be female. Shirley Chisholm, the black woman who ran for president in 1972, argued in effect that there were more sexists than racists in America. "I met more discrimination as a woman, than for being black," Ms. Chisholm once said.

Blue Bag

This made my day.  Walking in Wrigleyville, I stumbled across this today.  No, I didn't step in shit...thanks to the blue bag.

scones

Is it right to eat a tasty blueberry scone from Argo Tea still sweating from busting ass at the gym?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scones

Moo Mooo

sweet yellow relief

I think I'm done with the supplemental application for grad school.  It's only appropriate that I have "Waiting" by Greenday playing on iTunes.   Ahhhhhhhh!

Turd Table

Check this out...I took this in the bathroom at the Argo Tea on Broadway and Briar. The "Sturdy Station 2" is now the "Turd Station 2. The black Sharpie marker IS a magic wand!

I heart my 2.0 mega pixel camera on my cellphone!

Fortune Cookies

Sooo...those damn little things are Japanese???  

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/dining/16fort.html?

Now a researcher in Japan believes she can explain the disconnect, which has long perplexed American tourists in China. Fortune cookies, Yasuko Nakamachi says, are almost certainly originally from Japan.

still life with salami

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/in_pictures/7186989.stm

Iowa Caucus

I caucused in Iowa on Thursday. Actually, I was an "observer" for the town of Underwood, Iowa with the Ryan's. What a sight. A room full of caucasians at a caucus with shrimp cocktail. I really enjoyed watching how this worked. A room with political sides, tables plastered with Obama, Hillary, Bill Richardson, Dodd, and Edwards banners, and blatant supporters. No signs of Biden. When the officiator announces that it's time count the number of supporters per group, there are clear boundaries between tables. Each sat down or lowered his/her hand as the group "leader" counted their presence. To be "viable," your candidate has to have 15% of the total participants. Bill Richardson wasn't viable and so joined Obama's side. I really loved how the locals tried to sway the undecided...from "hey, we have shrimp" to "i'll mow your lawn."

New Years Day 2008

This is what it looks like from the inside of a car in Chicago. Covered in inches of snow. I wanted a shovel for Christmas and didn't get it. This is before the sun went down and dropped to 5 degrees.

scratch

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/business/27lotteries.html?em&ex=1198990800&en=34940e8457807eac&ei=5087%0A

 

A $50 scratch-off lottery ticket?  Wow...I'm too cheap for that.  When I buy a lottery ticket, I do it for instant gratification...and it's been years since I bought one.  You pay little for a chance to win big.  With $50 you're just taking to big of a hit in the wallet.  I won $200 once from $2 "Break the Bank".  That's a good return

skin

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/fashion/27SKIN.html?em&ex=1198990800&en=518ea59619256db4&ei=5087%0A