America wow!

July 4, 2009

Mary-Lou Davila Scores a Perfect 10!!
Originally uploaded by jeff.ramone

Seriously, happy July Fourth everybody. Enjoy your barbecues and your fireworks and your flags. Just try not to blow up any body parts. Yay!


DISGRASIAN™ Presents: Who Is the World’s Biggest A**hole?

July 2, 2009

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ou est le shampooing

July 2, 2009

My hair looks good today. Like, really good I think. Which comes as something of a surprise considering I washed my hair with bar soap this morning.

Bar soap, you say? Yes. I’ve begun my “staycation”, a week-long stay at the Swissôtel Chicago. Maria arrives tomorrow morning, so I got a double room. The bathroom is all granite and has a separate shower and bath tub. I soaked for a bit last night, watched “I Survived A Japanese Game Show” while eating sushi from the Dominick’s a few blocks away. I believe in treating myself, but I don’t think “treating myself” includes hotel room service. At least not for this stay anyway.

Back to the bar soap — when I checked in, the bathroom had lotion, conditioner, the aforementioned bar soap, even a telephone, but no shampoo. I should have asked housekeeping to bring some, but was feeling lazy. And secretly wondering if the shampoo was absent just so I’d have to call for some and tip whoever brought it to me. Cynical? Maybe, and cynicism should be taking a holiday while I am on one myself.


red white & jasmine

July 2, 2009
My own little Stars & Stripes

My own little Stars & Stripes

It occurred to me a few weeks ago that this weekend I’ll be observing my first Independence Day as an actual American. Like, with the naturalization certificate to prove it. I’ve lived in the United States for almost all of my life, but I didn’t actually make the transition from “permanent resident” to “citizen” until last December. If you haven’t already read it, read about that day here.

I thought for July 4th weekend, instead of taking a break from blogging, I’d write a couple of posts about:

  • the day I was sworn in (which I don’t think I’ve covered yet even though it was back in December)
  • the nice dinner Andrew & Rozi had for me in March to celebrate that new citizenship
  • favorite July 4th celebrations from years past

So that’s it. Enjoy your holiday, and try not to get any vital body parts blown off when playing with fireworks.


the hater hates on tofu dogs

July 1, 2009

I enjoy reading T Magazine and The Moment, its daily blog. Who doesn’t like pretty pictures of pretty things worn, used, and endorsed by pretty people?

Today, T Magazine staffers write about what they’ll be doing and, more importantly, what they’ll be wearing for Independence Day. Fairly harmless, until I read a phrase in this entry from an assistant (emphasis mine):

For my friends and me (who are all essentially living on an assistant’s salary), going away for the weekend isn’t really in the budget. Instead, we’ll sneak onto my rooftop, grill some burgers and tofu dogs (it is Brooklyn after all) and catch a glimpse of fireworks. And in keeping with the neighborhood vibe, I’ll wear this slightly elevated version of the Williamsburg uniform, trading buffalo plaid for gingham, cutoffs for bermudas and boat shoes for bucks.

Emphasis mine, obvs, but this in a nutshell is why I don’t think I could move back to New York and live in Brooklyn. At least, not in the version of Brooklyn that this particular person occupies.

Worn on the Fourth of July – The Moment Blog (NYT)


Sole Train

June 30, 2009
early morning in Bryan, OH

early morning in Bryan, OH

Maria is taking Amtrak to Chicago, arriving Friday morning at Union Station. She just e-mailed me to ask if there’s anything she should know about taking the train that she might have forgotten. I started making a list:

Read the rest of this entry »


friends at the Taste

June 30, 2009

Read more about Mike’s thoughts on this visit to the Taste of Chicago here at Chicagocarless.com.


blue & orange

June 29, 2009
  • Michael Jackson: Still dead
  • Bernie Madoff: Still a crook, and he got sentenced to 150 years in prison!
  • Jasmine: Still awesome.

I’ve changed LoudTwitter settings so that daily posts don’t include every single update from my Twitter stream, just the ones with a #lt tag appended to the end. Now let’s see if I actually remember to do that.

I went to the Taste of Chicago last night with (deep breath) @chicagocarless, @chicagocarless’s friend Matt (who is now my friend), @Eukadanz, @alissas, and @abellwillring. I made everybody try on the RolLens I got at the eye doctor. Pictures are in my Flickr stream — below is a shot of @Eukadanz as The Terminator or Yoko Ono, depending on how you see it:

Terminator Elisa

Is that The Terminator or Yoko Ono?


Tweet!

June 29, 2009
  • 01:50 Aw – bit.ly/R4Aho #
  • 10:52 @Eukadanz What?! #
  • 12:41 Listening to the pride parade from her apartment. Happy pride everybody! I”m gonna stay in & clean my apartment. #fb #
  • 13:00 RT @patrickjd: no shammy can absorb the tears i have shed for billy mays #fb #
  • 13:02 @xina twitpic.com/8ong1 – This is adorable. But where’s the blanket hanging in the background? Maybe not a blanket but an academi … #
  • 13:04 @Zulkey That movie was awesome. Missi Pyle as Alexandra Cabot was great. #
  • 15:26 RT @afrobella: Chick in car next to me is brushing her weave blasting Beyonce & wearing white shutter shades ala Kanye. Rolling up my window #
  • 17:12 @Eukadanz Hahaha! #
  • 17:14 This 151 #CTA bus just went express sorta. I may not be so late to meet @Eukadanz & @chicagocarless after all. #
  • 17:15 RT @AnnaTarkov: If anyone wants to express their condolences to Billy Mays’ son, he can be found @YoungBillyMays. #
  • 18:55 Digesting at the Taste of Chicago with @Eukadanz & @chicagocarless. (@ Buckingham Fountain in Chicago) bit.ly/3aEkJ0 #
  • 21:14 @chicagocarless’s friend Matt #Rollens twitpic.com/8q21h #
  • 21:14 @chicagocarless is The Terminator twitpic.com/8q23k #
  • 21:15 @Eukadanz works the #Rollens twitpic.com/8q260 #
  • 21:16 Original Rainbow Cone – delicious! twitpic.com/8q28r #
  • 21:18 @abellwillring is wearing, well, you know the drill. twitpic.com/8q2dm #
  • 21:19 Last one, I swear – Rollens worn by @alissas. twitpic.com/8q2g3 #
  • 22:50 @xina There is nothing bad with that dress. It’s gorgeous! #
  • 23:01 @ButtercupD And it tastes better. Original Rainbow Cone FTW. #

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Happy Pride Everybody!

June 28, 2009

Nettelhorst has pride
Originally uploaded by jasmined

I can hear the sound of the parade, which started about an hour ago from my apartment. I’m kinda trapped here until it’s over. I’m sure I’ll wander over to Broadway to get some video. Until then, I’m watching movies on cable and thinking about cleaning my apartment.