new manners for the 21st century

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mid dinner call, originally uploaded by superlocal.

Superlocal, one of my favorite Flickr people, took this photo of a friend in Seoul, taking a call during dinner. I really like how she’s leaning back to avoid seeing the person across the table, thereby creating a sort of privacy for both parties. It’s almost childish, the whole, I can’t see you so you can’t see me concept working here. So ridiculous, yet I think it works. There should be a word for this style of talking on the phone. The Leanback?

“take out trash. do some push-ups. ATM pin:4399″

I like this website for Moleskin notebook fans, Moleskinerie.com. I’ve been using mine a bit to jot down notes and numbers, especially when I’m traveling, but I really should use mine more. A few weeks ago I even bought a daily diary Moleskin for 2007, since everyone was sold out by December last year. I really admire people who actually use their notebooks everyday. Maybe I would if I had better handwriting or could sketch, but I keep thinking I will start. I was telling someone that what Moleskin and other notebooks and organizers sell is not really the physical thing itself to people like me, but, like gym memberships,  what they sell is optimism. Once Pam and I worked with a dude who would sort of brood a lot and then write stuff down in a little Moleskin-like notebook all the time. I’d pay to read it.

Empty Bottle on a Wednesday Night

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rack, originally uploaded by andrewc.

I stopped by the Empty Bottle to see Melissa’s band the Reptoids. They rock pretty hard. It’s been raining so hard here in Chicago that the bike rack outside the Bottle was a towel rack.

Nintento Wii manages to pull me into the hype

Besides some sporadic hours of Katamari and Bejeweled on the iPod, I’m not a gamer, so I haven’t been really into the Nintendo Wii game console frenzy but I recently watched the videos Nintendo put up of people playing the Wii (I’m sure for some of you this is old but I don’t think most my friends who make up the readership of this blog normally look at stuff like this) and found it oddly charming and relaxing. It’s very…Japanese? But in a good, relaxing way. Best use of web and video (the movies load so smooth!) I’ve seen in a long time and made me want to watch almost all the videos, which in turn made me want to go buy one. Which is in sharp contrast to the whole "7 Days In a Sentra" ad campaign. Whoo! Some ad guy actor is going to live in a car for seven days! Whoo! Look, I’m showering outside! Not because I have to like some people, but because I’m in an ad. Ugh. They should of just poked me in the eye with a stick and told me to remember their stupid car instead.

“Preacher” to be HBO show

HBO has seen the light and is bringing "Preacher" to the small screen.

The pay cable network is developing a one-hour series
based on the popular 1990s Vertigo comics series. Mark Steven Johnson,
the writer-director behind comic adaptations "Daredevil" and the
upcoming "Ghost Rider," is writing the pilot, while Howard Deutch is
attached to direct. Johnson and Deutch will executive produce along
with Michael De Luca, George Agusto, Chris Bender and JC Spink.

Preacher, which ran from 1995-2000, told the story of a
down-and-out Texas preacher possessed by Genesis, a supernatural entity
conceived by the unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon. Given
immense powers, the preacher teamed with an old girlfriend and a
hard-drinking Irish vampire and set out on a journey across America to
find God — who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven — and
hold him accountable for his negligence.
 

The series was created by Irish-born writer Garth Ennis and British
artist Steve Dillon, who will serve as co-executive producers. Ken F.
Levin, who reps the duo, also will serve as co-exec producer.
 

The series — which developed a rabid fan base — was known for
tackling religious and political issues, its dark and violent sense of
humor and its observations of American culture. It also was one of the
series that helped define Vertigo, the adult-oriented line of comics
from DC Comics…–Hollywood Reporter

Preacher always made me feel dirty and unsettled after I read it. Looking forward to seeing if HBO can keep it that way.

the internet helps me develop new fears everyday

Greenville, NC: What is the risk of taking a shower and/or bath while a thunderstorm is occurring?

John Jensenius: When
lightning strikes a home or building, it usually follows metal wires
and/or pipes. For that reason, you should avoid contact with anything
that plugs into a wall outlet or any plumbing in the home. Also stay
off corded phones. You asked specifically about showers and tubs. These
are connected to the plumbing of the home and should be avoided. Over
the past several years, I’ve seen a number of incidents involving the
laundry area (either washers or dryers). Because these are connected to
both wiring and/or plumbing, they are particularly dangerous. Also,
there have been a cases involving people at sinks and in swimming pools. – usatoday National Weather Service meteorologist John Jensenius

I guess I’ll just dab some Purell under my arms while this storm continues. I’ve never been afraid of lightning before, but after reading that Q&A I’m questioning my sitting here by an open window typing on a device connected to an electrical current while it storms outside.

: Does it hurt when you get struck by lightning?

John Jensenius: In
short, YES, lightning not only hurts, it kills. On average, 67 people
are killed each year by lightning in the USA, based on the past 30
years of data. Hundreds more are injured by lightning. If a person is
struck by lightning and survives, the pain brought on by damage to the
brain and/or nervous system can last a lifetime. Medically, pain is
difficult to quantify. Lightning strike victims can suffer irreparable
nerve damage. The pain can be so intense that it affects the person’s
ability to function. Many survivors complain of chronic headaches, some
of which are very intense and debilitating.
I should point out that not all lightning victims suffer lifelong pain.
Every case is different in terms of the speed and amount of recovery.
Pain is not the only aftereffect that a survivor may have to adjust to.
Mentally, lightning strike victims may face many challenges that
they’ll have to live with. When the brain is affected by a lightning
strike, the person often has difficultly with many of the mental
processes that most people take for granted. The person may suffer from
short-term memory loss and may have difficulty mentally storing new
information and accessing old information. Victims may often find it
very difficult to carry on more than one task at a time, and may be
easily distracted. Their personality may change and they may become
easily irritated.

Jesus. I was hoping I’d just get superpowers.

Chicago Pigeon Font

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the birds, originally uploaded by andrewc.

So far I’ve only made "O".

post-lunch lunch (lunch2)

So the ramen was a bust but at least there was still Sixtyfive for the Chinese bbq pork. Ah, five bucks for the "small" which is not very small. It must weigh three pounds. Sweet, salty, and fatty char sui, which is how they do it in Hawaii where I grew up eating it, along with a lot of rice to balance it all out. It’s not so much lunch as it is your gateway to a post-lunch nap under your desk. Cheap bliss…Um, why is the Velvet Underground’s "Heroin" suddenly playing in my head?   

ramen at “Takashi Yagihashi’s Noodles” at macy’s formerly know as marshall fields

ramen, originally uploaded by andrewc.

OK, first, the noodles are actually really good and tasted handmade. But after that it’s downhill and you Chicagoians boycotting Macy’s don’t have to worry about missing anything amazing. The broth was a bit too salty and there was just something missing, maybe a richness, despite the fat globules swimming around from the ground pork. While I was waiting for my noodles I saw that the cooks kept tasting the broth (one looked Japanese) and adding stuff to it, but it didn’t work for me. Also the cabbage in it was more like lettuce and that there were carrots worried me right away. A good rule of thumb is that if there’s baby corn or carrots in an Asian dish it probably means it’s more American than Asian. So it was kind of OK, but not worth the nine bucks. I might stop by again and give it another try but I think Chicago still needs a real ramen stand. Also, let’s go to Mitsuwa’s! I haven’t been there yet, which is crazy.

a small sampling of dudes I have had breakfast with

Like the title says, I made a set of photos of a few dudes I have had breakfast with. In fact, I have even had dinner with those fellows and on occasion have crashed on their couches. Of course, this is a very small selection and you should not feel slighted if I have had breakfast with you and did not include you. You not being in the photo set does not make you in any way less of a dude.