RandomCha

An exceptionally peculiar evening. Here’s how it went down:

1. After work I went to the gym, realizing halfway through my workout that my ensemble was deeply unflattering.
2. I walked home from the gym wearing my deeply unflattering emsemble, now drenched with sweat. Was going to stop by the bank to make a deposit when I realized that I’d left my bank card at home.
3. After a shower, Andy and I had a long, meandering talk. A good talk. But all of a sudden it was 7 o’clock and we hadn’t discussed dinner yet.
4. Because both of our brains were fried and we were feeling lazy and uncreative, we decided to order delivery from Art of Pizza. Again.
5. Because it was 7 o’clock, it was primetime for pizza, which meant an hour’s wait time. Not unusual. We’re used to it.
6. To kill time waiting for the pizza, we ended up watching Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, which was on TV and was already halfway over when we turned it on. Our plan was to watch the pilot episode of Moonlighting once the pizza arrived.
7. A bit before 8 o’clock, Apocalyptic Rain/Thunderstorm Round #1 began. Scaring the hell out of Andy. Further delaying pizza. Buckets of rain everywhere, tree branches being ripped off, rain blowing horizontally through our back windows. Stifling in the apartment
8. At 8.15, the pizza arrived. Delivery guy was very cheerful. I gave him an absurdly large tip.
9. Storm was still too horrifying to think about watching anything. Andy was so upset he didn’t want any pizza. If you knew Andy, you’d know how wacked out that is.
10. Finally, around 8:30ish, the storm died down. However it was now too late to watch Moonlighting. We decided to finish the rest of the movie on TV.
11. Andy went to bed a little after 9. Our DSL came back on so I surfed online and read about the storm.
12. I went to bed at 10.30. Andy in a deep sleep. I dozed off.
13. At 11.15ish, Apocalyptic Rain/Thunderstorm Round #2 began, rudely rousing us. Andy jumpped out of bed and fled to the central hallway. I comforted him as best I could. DSL went down again.
14. At around 11.45 I said, “Wow, this must be what it would be like to be inside the Mutara Nebula.” Andy actually laughed.
15. Midnight: I coaxed Andy into the bedroom, and half an hour later we went to sleep.

It’s Xmas in August for yours truly!

A free download from the new Byrne/Eno album became available today, and I’ve been listening to it on repeat. “Strange Overtones.” Lovely. It has more of a “traditional” song structure than some of Byrne’s other recent stuff, i.e. it’s pretty damn catchy. It’s hummable. And, as he’d described, it does sound strangely hopeful. If the rest of the album is as good …

Also new to the site are tour dates. He’ll be here on October 26th at the Chicago Opera House. The best venue in town! Holy Toledo, when do tickets go on sale?

The Dead Girl [2006]

1. On the back of the kitchen cupboard, a recipe written on pieces of masking tape.
2. She puts the toilet lid down and then sits on it. In her lap is her purse and a package of kleenex on top of that. She sobs, holding a tissue.
3. When Leah turns on the kitchen faucet, she drowns out the sound of Mary Steenburgen rambling on about photographs of her missing child. She fills her glass and turns off the faucet; Steenburgen’s voice returns.

The Dead Zone [1983]

1. He leans back, puts his hands behind his head, a look of calm, ritual determination on his face, then slowly bends forward until the blades of the scissors are inside his mouth and against his nose. Cut: Cronenberg doesn’t show us what happens next.
2. The nuclear launch device resembles a kind of Radio Shack/Ikea hybrid minilaptop. Complete with sophisticated palm scanner.
3. Herbert Lom: “I’d kill the son of a bitch.”

Surprise. I just won The Complete Decca Recordings of Count Basie on eBay with a low bid. I’m anxious to dig in. I’ve heard them compared to the Duke Ellington collection I have, and that I already listen to pretty much nonstop. It’d be fascinating to program them together in chronological order. That’s a truckload of awesome music.

My review of Chris & Don, A Love Story

This is directly from the official Trader Vic’s News Page, so it’s safe to assume it’s credible:

For the fans of the old Trader Vic’s in the Chicago Palmer House Hilton, it has been a long agonizing wait, but at long last, this October, the “new” Trader Vic’s Chicago will open its doors. The latest addition to the Trader Vic’s family of franchises is being designed by the same team that brought the old Dallas location back to breathtaking life in 2006. Tikiphiles and Trader Vic’s Chicago devotees will appreciate that many artifacts from the Palmer House restaurant have been preserved for this new location. We can’t wait to see the finished result! 

My reaction: !!!

I will definitely be asking James Teitelbaum about this when I see him tomorrow. He’s leading a Tiki Drinks Seminar at Sam’s.

Last week I strolled by 1030 N. State, where the new Trader Vic’s is going to be. I peered in the windows but didn’t see any construction going on. Hmm. Mysterious. The great news is that it’s quite close to my new job, so I can stop by often to see how it’s progressing. And of course its proximity will be quite advantageous once it’s open. Many, many happy hours ahead of us …