well, i have enjoyed the first fruit of my new schedule...yesterday i had the entire day off to do whatever i pleased...now i know what people working odd schedules enjoy...being free when most others are bound to the m-f 9-5 clock...teddy & i celebrated by going to the butterfly garden @ the nature museum in lincoln park...it was free if you didn't want to see the special exhibit, which we didn't, so that was an added bonus...my friend jenn had told me that she went there with her folks and that a butterfly had landed on her mom and followed her around for like 15 minutes...the prospect of a butterfly landing on ME was too irresistible, so i told teddy i HAD to go to the butterfly garden...



there were all sorts of butterflies and moths in this exhibit...surrounded by lovely tropical flora and fountains and ponds and what have you...it wasn't a very large space, but quite tall...i would say there were more butterflies here than at the pacific science center in seattle...there's something about butterflies...they just make me happy to look at them...the way they dance when they fly...the fluttering of their wings, so soft and subtle...the amazing variety of color and shape and size that they come in...their delicateness...they're one of the few insects whose presence puts a smile on my face, i have to admit...i'm really not much of an insect person...



although it was lovely seeing all these butterflies you would normally never see in the chicago wild, there was a sad side to this garden, and that was seeing the dying butterflies...these creatures have a lifespan of only a few days to about 2 weeks...they're so fragile that as they near the time of their death, many of them are missing parts to their wings and have difficulty flying...i saw little pockets here and there of what were like butterfly cemetaries or soon-to-be cemetaries...dying butterflies laying limp beneath a shrub, half of a wing missing...you just don't see dying butterflies in the wild...it was a bit traumatic for me to see such beauty in tatters...



after looking at the butterflies, we went to trader joes to pick up goods for a picnic...then we went to the beach at montrose and the lake near the sk8te park that teddy likes to go to...i've never been to the beach here, and i was quite pleasantly surprised at how fine the sand was, and how BIG the beach was...i will definitely be returning to this spot...so we ate our fake baloney sandwiches and lay out in the haze for a bit and managed to become covered in sand from head to toe...we were too tired for the sk8te park, so we headed back to my place...on the way there, we drove by st. mary's on cortland & wood, and i told teddy to stop the car because i wanted to go in...teddy's been telling me how gorgeous it is inside here, and i wanted to see for myself...there were people kneeling and praying, and it was very quiet and serene...the early evening light was streaming in through the stained glass windows and it was very bright...the church was majorly renovated a few years ago, and the inside was covered with murals and paintings of a really elaborate nature...at first i was thinking that this seemed so out of character with the humble nature of jesus who didn't really seem to care for all the ornate stuff while he was here, but then i thought about the elaborate instructions given to solomon on building the temple, or to moses for building the ark of the covenant...and i wondered what god really liked, like does he like all that shiny frilly stuff or not? all of it seems so fake and wooden and cheap compared to what i would imagine the glory of god to really be like based on what the bible says, ya know? anyways, it's definitely worth checking out...st. mary's...nice place to go and be in quiet...to pray, meditate, think, whatever...



we went to filter to see joe teddy's roommate and to hang out before the denison witmer show @ subterranean...they were setting up for an open mic and joe said he might sing a few songs that night...so we stuck around because i really wanted to see joe play...he's moving back to ann arbor in two weeks and i'm gonna miss him...he's been quietly by my side for some very fond memories this year...













the first guy to do the open mic was singing a dave matthews song...now i have to say that this was probably an ambitious choice on his part because a)he can't play the guitar very well and b)he can't sing very well...i was sitting w/ ted & his brother dave on a sofa, and we decided by the 2nd song that we needed to leave or at least stand outside...turned out that joe was going next, so teddy & i stayed and watched as he did two songs by the mountain goats and a song by billy bragg...considering he hadn't played in a while, i thought he did great...and i got to do a photoshoot so he can have mementos of this night, one of his last here in chitown...the boys (john, phil, mikey) will be congregating back from the western states in time to say one last good bye to joe in a couple weeks...



teddy & i went to denison's show across the street after joe finished his songs...debbie from wildwood was there...i saw denison briefly before his touring mate jeff hanson started his set and got to introduce him to teddy...i had told him about teddy i think a couple months ago but this was their first time meeting...



i have to say a little something about jeff hanson...when he started singing, i was a bit startled because he sings in a very high voice, like a choir boy, and it doesn't match his physique at all...watching and listening to jeff hanson seems to be a paradox...but he plays the guitar beautifully, and he sings like an angel...i don't know how he sustains that high voice for an entire show...when he talks, it's normal pitch, like what you'd expect from a young man...when he sings, though, you almost wanna look around the room to try to figure out where that sound could be coming from...



...there was a good sized crowd by the time denison's set started...it was a lovely time...i realized last night that i probably know denison's songs better than anybody else's because except for a couple numbers, i could sing along to just about every song he did...it was great cuz he did songs from ALL his albums, from his first river bends ep (my favorite--healing time) to safe away to the 80's ep to of joy & sorrow to philadelphia songs to his new covers album...i can't believe i could remember the lyrics to some of those songs because it's been so long...



denison got an encore, which was nice, and after the show we chatted a bit...i guess he's going to the greenbelt fest in the u.k. in a month, and he asked if bill would be there...one of his fans overheard us talking and asked which bill we were talking about...i said bill mallonee and it turned out this dude was a big VoL fan, so we ended up chatting for a bit and i told him about bill's solo stuff and that he had a new band and a new album coming out later in august...it was cool talking to another bill fan...this guy totally forgot about talking to denison for a while and just kinda gushed about kevin & jake & bill and how important bill's music has been to him...



rosie thomas's brother brian who lives in chicago was there too, and denison reintroduced us to each other (we'd met last year when rosie & deni played @ schubas)...we talked about what rosie was up to...turns out she's got a new album coming out in a few weeks...he says it's got a fuller sound than the last one...and she's touring w/ damien in late autumn! not only that, andy (myers, hidari mae's frontman & damien's drummer) & eric (fisher, andy's best friend, rosie's instrumentalist, hidari mae's keyboardist, and damien's guitarist) are gonna go to europe w/ her and they'll be along for the damien tour too probably...that surprised me cuz andy NEVER tours...if damien comes to town w/ a full band, AND rosie too, that's gonna be an awesome show!



so all in all, my 1st day of freedom from the m-f 9-5 schedule was a very full day...i'm gonna need the weekend to recover...



been listening to--

boys don't cry--the cure

recovered--denison witmer

london calling--the clash

when we were small--rosie thomas

ghost of david--damien jurado

perfume letter--bill mallonee

...well, it's week 2 of the 12 hour tuesdays, and i have to say, it ain't so bad...the other days seem so much shorter in comparison...and tomorrow i enjoy the fruits of my labor and get to take the day off! woohoo!



so i've joined the friendster.com revolution...i don't have very many friends yet...teddy's younger brother jay's friend timm who used to be teddy's roommate invited me...jay's other friend jeff invited teddy...so now we're all friendsters! how it all works, it's just too complicated...go look it up yourself...



denison witmer's playing @ subterranean tomorrow night...denny's the one who jumpstarted my indie rock life style back in march 2002...he is a lovely human being and writes lovely songs to boot...



...so last night as i was working late, i got a call from bmg music group...you know those people...buy 12 cds for the price of 1? yeah, well, i'm a long time member...every now and then they'll call you up and tell you what a valuable member you are and 'reward' you by offering you a coupon for free cds if you buy just one at full price (which is about 1.75x the price you'd pay at a normal cd store)...well, i got one of those calls yesterday...except this time, the girl who called, as soon as i verified that i was indeed 'sarah', she starts rattling off a sales pitch at full speed x 1,000,000,000...without pausing to give me a chance to say 'no thank you', she proceeded to tell me that because i was such a valued customer, that i'd be getting 9 free cds for buying the 3 cds they were sending, and i have no idea what the titles were because she rattled them off so fast, and before i even had a chance to say that i still lived at such and such an address, she thanked me and hung up..i was stunned...i wish i could have recorded her talking...i swear, it was like one of them auctioneers and i'm not exaggerating one bit...well, i called bmg today, and it turns out that they outsource those sales calls to an outside telemarketing firm...and this was not the first of such complaints they've gotten... i still can't believe it...if you ever get one of these calls, as soon as they ask, 'is this so-and-so?' start yelling at the top of your voice, 'NO! NO! NO!' it's really the only way to avoid the hassle of returning unwanted stuff...i was so incensed after that sales call yesterday that i emailed bmg's customer service, told them what happened, and thanked them for the CDs they were sending me, which i was assuming were free since i never gave my consent to accept them...



anyways, i don't have any interesting photos to post so i'm resorting to my collection of teddy's funny faces...enjoy...i sure do...



been listening to--

yankee hotel foxtrot--wilco

time (the revelator)--gillian welch

revival--gillian welch

wood/water--the promise ring

murray street--sonic youth

spirit of '91--zapruder point

god fodder--ned's atomic dustbin

is it monday morning already? sheesh, how the weekend flies by...it's funny how the perception of time is relative to how much fun you're having...well, it's the early train for me today...



let's see...ah yes...the weekend...don't remember too much...oh yeah...pete's bday party...that was lots of fun...pete loved the pedro the lion tshirt i got him...it had a picture of the skull he wants to get a tattoo of on it which was why i had bought it in the first place...i gave my guacamole recipe out several times...



saturday night we went to the premiere of the star wars-esque little film connolly was in this past year...it was called 'resistance' and it made me want one of them light saber thingies...and a cape...



after the screening, teddy & i stopped in a little park in the neighborhood and climbed the slide/fort/bar thingie and enjoyed the cool evening breeze and daydreamed together...it was lovely...we were both tipsy (he'd had 3 fat weasels & i'd had 1.5 woodchuck ales plus we'd each had an export a) and i was actually nauseous which was how we'd ended up lying on our backs in this park instead of joining connolly & his girlfriend @ the heartland cafe...despite the nausea, it was a beautiful night for me listening to teddy dream out loud...



sunday was the wicker park grace outing to the baha'i temple in wilmette...nanette, teddy & i went up there and met up w/ leslie & claire...i've been in the temple only a couple times before and really didn't know too much about the baha'is...we saw a video, got a tour, and had a chance to ask some questions...quite frankly, i have a hard time figuring out how one can logically tie all the major world religions together as being compatible with each other...it just didn't make sense to me...and the whole time, i kept wondering to myself, 'who changes that light bulb at the top that lights up the arabic words carved in the dome?' teddy's answer? 'your mom...' that's his answer for all my questions...



...sunday night was a disaster for getting stuff done as plans got changed then switched then changed again...somehow we did manage to go bowling with the twins (grey jay & orange lauren) and their cohorts rouge douge, camoflage jefflage (back from sweden), timm & mike...teddy's been wanting to bowl for ages...it was fun...i had a kickass first game...bowled a 132 which is probably my alltime high...and i knew the next game was doomed...i didn't even check what my score was for the second game...



the place where we bowled was called lincoln square bowling alley, and it's on top of the ace hardware store on lincoln & ainslie...there were only 2 other people bowling when we got there...there was this huge round old fashioned bar...and a few pinball machines...and a jukebox with some really bad albums in it but some good oldies as well...i got a strike to cheap trick's 'i want you to want me'...i love programming the jukebox...although it would've been cheaper to bring our own cd player...



this week i get to take thursday off because of my new schedule...i can't wait...that kinda means that today is like a wednesday for me, not a monday...that's so awesome...

i love the sound of teddy's voice over the telephone esp. when he's excited about something, even if that something's a disagreement we're having...it's all good...

i think i need to see a dentist...holy crap...who's my dentist again?

...tonight is my friend pete's 25th bday party...his birthday was on sunday, but today is the party, and it's gonna be some party...like lots of people...and my guacamole...like holy guacamole...stolie... ok...whatever...anyways, i've known pete & his lovely wife amy for a little less than a year now...i don't get to see them as much as i'd like to, esp. since they moved to hyde park and got pregnant and had a baby and all that...but when i do, it's like being with old friends...pete is like the little brother i never had...except it doesn't seem like we're that far apart in age...and it's not so much cuz pete's mature, so you do the math...pete, sam & i loved hanging out as a trio until things like babies and fiancees and boyfriends came up...those were good days...

...i remember the night i really wanted to see yeah yeah yeahs over @ the bottle, and sam wasn't really into it, and so the three of us went to facets and got chelsea walls, which i got just for the extra wilcco song and the jeff tweedy soundtrack...and sam & pete fell asleep...those lame-ohs...and then there was the time i called pete & sam & they were headed up north to a thrift store in uptown, and i was headed south from evanston, and so we met up @ the thrift store...and then we went to the hollywood grill and ordered beer cuz they had just added that to the menu...and then who could forget new years eve when the three of us ate @ swank franks cuz we couldn't find anyone else open and we were frickin' staaahvin'...and then we went to ted's new year's eve party and ted put those two to work and he just watched and laughed as they made the pizzas w/ brie...pete got so drunk that night ha ha...and then there was that over the rhine show that bill opened up for...pete & amy & i had dinner w/ their friends prior to the show......and pete & i got so mad when bill only got a 20 minute set that we sat out in schuba's hallway smoking cloves during over the rhine's set and only came back in when bill joined karen on stage for a duet...and the time pete & sam & i went to look at tattoos...ha ha ha! and i remember when pete & i said we wouldn't wear shorts in the summer cuz we wanted to be rock'n'roll ha ha we were such wannabes and still are...oh gosh, and the time pete & i went on a photoshoot & ended up @ the american girl store HA HA HA! and pete was trying on the girls' clothes they were selling to match the doll clothes!! HA HA HA! smoking a nat sherman's together outside church the day of the 5th anniversary...we smoked a lot together, pete & i...and he passed on his zippo to me for christmas...and i gotta say, he's married to one cool girl...if i were a boy, i'd marry amy to...which makes sense seein' as how pete & i get on so well, so we'd probably have the same taste in girls too...pete & amy rock...'s'all i gots to say about that...

ah yes, my kid bro pete is 25...and he's a dad too...what a year...

been listening to the mix cd i made for pete's bday:
the execution of all things—rilo kiley
the electric version—the new pornographers
the empty page—sonic youth
reject all american—bikini kill
a movie script ending—death cab for cutie
else—built to spill
skips a beat—the promise ring
the greatest thing—ester drang
universal truths and cycles—guided by voices
american flag—cat power
silver transparent—bill mallonee
american english—idlewild
parade—damien jurado & gathered in song
public witness program—fugazi
summertime climb—the flashing lights
let’s run—le tigre
we don’t say shut up—danielson famile
after all—mojave 3
too pure—sebadoh
of up and coming monarchs—pedro the lion
pink moon—nick drake
you know that (is nothing new)—vigilantes of love
heavy metal drummer—wilco
cinema air—the gloria record
rules broken—all-time quarterback