Hmmmm....

Christ these people make me happy

Photo By Meg Gustafson
Chemistry Divine.

My kingdom for a Camera Phone (for the boat ride)

So, I took the Water Taxi this morning from Union station to Michigan ave. It's free this week, so I ran to catch it. Anyone who's taken a trip down the Chicago river can tell you it's a stunning ride. It's a hell of a way to start the day to be in the shadow of such grandeur.
The only downside is that the Water taxi takes you to the far side of Michigan Avenue, under the building the NBC studio is in, so on top of the 15 minute ride, I had a 10 minute walk. The upside to that is that Michigan ave is the most consistent catwalk for beautiful women I have ever seen. Every time I walk down Michigan, someone turns my head.
If I were to take the water taxi again, it'd have to be a morning when I'm not in a hurry to get in. It's a great ride down the river for $3.

Poignant for so many reasons.

...from Chicagoist.

Hip Hope

The Coup's My Favorite Mutiny is a damn fine song.
The soul-splashed hip hop that is really gaining ground tehse days is outstanding. Also, From Doom to The Coup to Kanye and beyond, Is there a better featured MC than Talib Kweli?

Now you can see all the crap I have for sale on Ebay!

They added a feature. It's at the bottom of the page.

Beastly Noise

The beastie boys have a new album out called mixup. It's all the quasi-70's funk with electric piano and guitars. Ho-Hum. What happened to those dudes?
When Sabotage came out, I believed in the Amato theory that they deserve every dollar they make. However, I listened to the previews of every song, and I'm CERTAIN that's the last time I will intentionally hear any of them.

Diet ain't nuthin but DIE with a T, baby.

Three women were just in the break room while I was getting ice.
One Fat, one curvy, one tall and lean. Tall and Lean was taking 2 blueberry pop tarts out of the toaster.
Fat: I thought you were laying off the carbs...
T&L: I'm not going to eat the ends. Just the Fruit.
Fat: ...And a soda?
T&L: I'm down to one a day.
Curvy: You're like a 4-year-old.

I returned to my cube with my peanut butter twix and diet coke.

Barf Fly

Someone got paid to do this.



Look for my upcoming panel featuring Larry the Cable Pie!

Good Vs. Bad

Good: The Hot Karl Podcast Episode 6 is up. Go listen to it!
Bad (like, yikes, that's some profound hurt bad):
Here


BUCK UP LIL' CAMPER!

Way to cock it up, Reese's!

I saw these in Walgreens on the counter as an impulse buy.

I thought it was excellent merketing to compare to Elvis anyone that would eat 2 Resse's big cups. However, it wasn't until I'd bitten into it that I realized that they added banana "creme" to a prefectly good Reese's Big Cup. Bastards.

I could barely choke them both down.

Too Stupid to Live

This morning coming in on the Eisenhower, I noticed a douche in an suv driving erratically. I could see his silhouette through the rear window touching his face like he was applying shaving cream.
He was all over the road, so I moved to pass. As I did, I confirmed my suspicion. This 20-something blond professional-looking shithead driving while shaving. He was in an undershirt, and by this time, actively wet-shaving in the car.
My kingdom for a cameraphone.
As I made it past him, I looked in the rear view mirror, and saw that he put a solo cup of water on the dash, and dipped his razor in it. He apparently forgot his towel, so he was wiping face and razor on white sheets of paper.
My god, the stupidity. Now, I have done some less-than-attentive things while driving, but NEVER during rush hour, and never something as involved as shaving. I mean, I don't want to wish harm to anybody, but I feel like the only way someone that thick would learn a lesson is if he had a wreck. Problem with that is, he'll most likely hurt someone else as well, because he was SHAVING WHILE DRIVING.
What irritates me most is that there's never a cop around when shit like this happens. Never. I wish to god that they'd enforce JUST ONCE the driving too slow in the left lane that passed a couple years ago. Conversely, the next time I change lanes without signaling, I'll get a traffic ticket.

ComedySportz

I've been neck-deep in the business end of CSz of late. It's great to see this video, courtesy of Bron in CSz UK (by way of DMont). It reminds me of what all the work is for.
Replay - Bron In Chicago 2005

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This Picture Makes me Happy.

Intensity

I just watched (Friday) the episode of Deadwood where Captain Turner and Dan Dority fight. Holy shit. It's magnificent. And Terrifying.

Hey, Jealousy.

I may have already titled a post after that Shit-ass song, but I feel the need to re-use it. The village is redoing out drainage ditches in the neighborhood. I drove by all these white farmers-tanned lads working in the ditch and got insanely jealous. It made me think back on when I was employed by Lisle's park district. I can honestly say that if I could get paid enough to maintain the life I've become accustomed to, I'd work for the parks full time.
Being outside all day (7-3) and doing manual labor was so freeing. The camaraderie was great, even though the place was rife with shitheads. We were summer seasonal employees: "Summer Help; Some are Not". We mowed lawns and trimmed other vegetation, primarily, but often we were engaged in the manliest of pursuits. I learned how to properly use a chainsaw (in orange safety chaps), operate a Backhoe and front-loader, and most importantly, use a wood chipper. I say most importantly because it's an insane feeling of destructive power to take tree limbs and reduce them to wood chips. Of course, it's not that rotating wheel of blades run by combustion engine that do the chipping. It's YOU. Your power and will to reduce said branches to landscaping mulch is what does it.
That wood chipper would constantly be breaking as a consequence. I'll never forget my first year working there when Rich Mackins and Sammy Franzen attempted to chip a railroad tie and killed the chipper. It was hot, dangerous work, and I loved every day. It's not just dangerous because you could be pulled into the maw of the chipper by its grinding wheels, or hit by a spray of wood chunks, but it occasionally kicked back on you, sending sharp sticks your way.
Unfortunately, that was what was rumored to have happened to Mike Miglorini (sp?), our construction manager. Mike had brown eyes, but his one eye looked red because of it's brown iris' contrast to his injured eye whose iris had opened completely, making it look black. Mike was a hilarious guy who cursed a blue streak, and even though he had no depth perception, reveled in driving equipment into the garage faster than any sane, normal-sighted person would.
It was a simpler time for me, and taught me a lot. I miss it.

Episode V

of the hot karl podacast is up! Giv'er a listen, will ya?
hotkarlpodcast.com