Lakeview, I'll miss you.

As many of you know already, I've opted to purchase a new crib in Ukrainian Village/Wicker Park. West Side. Represent. Anyway, I've got a ton of great things to look forward to out west and I am hella amped about the move. I spent some time moving my stuff in tonight (I have way too many books), met the neighbors, hung on the balcony on a 90 degree night, etc. It's all good over there. I even did a load of laundry in my very own washer and dryer. No quarters in that b****. That's how we do. Excessive street thug tonight? Yes sir. Anyway, moving on...

I couldn't leave my beloved crib in Lakeview without a couple of shout outs to the things I'll miss the most. I've been here 4 years after all. You build up some love. I'll miss a bunch of things to be sure here. This is what pops to mind immediately.

10. Wrigley Proximity - Yes, I am a Cubs fan to the core. Yes I like to be able to walk up to and home from Wrigley. I go to about 8 games/year I would say, when it is all said and done. I always have visitors that roll up to the game, sometimes with tickets I provide. I'd be lying if I said that I was amped to take a cab or two trains home after a game. The quick walk home is NICE. Thankfully, it's a little easier this year. We suck in a tremendously frustrating way.

9. The Lake - It's great to run along. It's a great place for a late night romantic stroll. It's fun to drive along on the way home. I'm not swimming in it, but it is still nice to be a block a way when I feel like jogging or just staring off into the blue yonder. Will I miss the frickin' Air and Water Show when it rolls through in the summer bringing with it mind-numbing noise and the sort of people that like free entertainment of this sort? No. I will miss the view though.

8. Nancy's Pizza - The ultimate in drunken late night indulgences. It does wonders fighting off a hangover. Where will I go now in a stupor? La Pasadita? Perhaps.

7. The 156 and 134 Buses - My commute will be totally different now. These buses are straight outside the door. They are stellar because I always get a seat. They aren't always reliable but what portion of the CTA is? It's always an adventure. I know this is weird but I will miss some of the people that I don't even know. After years of commuting with and seeing the same people every day, you end up with stories about them in your mind. You pull for them to get their wardrobe right. You watch what books they read. You can't believe they are still on that cell phone. You can't believe what tremendously evil people they can sometimes be. I'll miss all of that.


6. Joy's Rice and Noodles - My favorite standby takeout place. They've been in my speed dial for the longest and I'll miss my Pad Khee Mao with tofu and cucumber salad quite a bit. I just got it the other night and was served my carryout order by a Thai transvestite. Hot.

5. My neighbor - I just found out she is moving anyway but the lady with a rotating string of boyfriends and a probable marijuana business next door has been a constant source of speculation and entertainment. Much of it highlighted in this blog. Enjoy your new place marijuana lady. *Puff*Puff*Pass*

4. Bally's at the Century Mall - This is my gym. I've toned my abs, pumped my biceps, kickboxed, and done pilates here. I like going. I've been hit on by enough men to count on two hands. It's a crazy party. I really enjoyed having this gym close by. I like going there. I know where everything is. I know all of the little secrets like how it's best to do your crunches in the pilates studio that many people don't even realize exists. It's super close and convenient. What more could you want?

3. Starbucks on Diversey - My spot for my weekend Starbucks. I LOVE my weekend Starbucks. It's managed by Shamus O'Toole. The baristas make a money caramel macchiatto. It's never overly busy. It's a little bit of heaven for me. It's a great part of my weekend.

2. Carlos - I won't run on too long about this one but Carlos is the greatest maintenance man in the history of maintenance men. I'll miss his instant response, amiable demeanor, and just plain knowing the guy is there. If something breaks in my new place, it's on me. My safety Carlos blanket is gone. On top of that, when I told him I was leaving, I thought he was going to cry. Sweetest thing ever.

1. Monica - I currently live two blocks from the woman I love. I can respond to anything in 5 minutes or less. Usual emergencies involve pests of some kind. It's a longer drive now, to say the least. Safety concerns aside, proximity to her is what I will absolutely miss the most. It's a runaway. Every thought I have involving the neighborhood has her and the great times we've had in it.

Goodbye Lakeview. You've been good to me. I'll visit often.

Issues with Blue Chips

Yesterday, I was whipping up some Eggplant Parm which turned out quite well, I have to say. While preparing dinner, I had the good fortune to stumble across the film Blue Chips on HBO. I've seen this film somewhere around 67 times. Around 59 of which were in college when I should have been studying. It's just one of those movies that comes on and sucks you in inexplicably. Sort of like PCU. Anyway, I had this on in the background. If you haven't seen this film, you can probably skip this post, but you should rent it. Where else can you see a skinny version of Shaq and Penny Hardaway before he sucked, impersonate 18 year old basketball players in their mid-20s?

Now, getting on to my commentary here. Blue Chips is about a coach, Nick Nolte, who runs a "clean" NCAA basketball program at what we are led to believe is UCLA. It's in California, has the same color unis, and is called "Western University" in the film. He's tormented by his first losing season. He goes out on the recruiting trail and finds himself 3 ringers. Butch McRae (Hardaway)- a silky smooth point guard from the Chi, Ricky Roe - a female-obsessed, tall Indiana farm boy with a jump shot, and Neon (Shaq) - a raw, unknown, 7'4" center from the Bayou. Now, Butch and Ricky are on the top of every coach's list. They both really like Western but they require "a little something extra" to land. This isn't the case at all for Neon. No one knows about him. This is where my problems start.

So we are led to believe that this supposedly saintly coach can't handle the losing to such an extent that he endorses his boosters via any means necessary to land him the top 2 prospects out there along with Neon. He then coaches one game against #1 Indiana (which Western wins) and has such a crisis of conscience that he confesses to the whole thing and resigns. This is what gets me. Did he really need Butch and Ricky? To beat Indiana, maybe. To have a strong team - definitely not. Butch was a great player, no doubt, but he didn't fit well with the offense. He even gets so frustrated at one point that he threatens to leave school. Ricky was clearly the third wheel of this bunch also. The best player in this recruiting class was Neon and he was getting Neon anyway. Neon even turned down a Lexus they tried to give him. With Neon, he's already on his way back to the top of the college game. His program is back on the map. There is no need to risk this paying off of players. This drives me crazy and makes absolutely no sense.

Also, in the big game against Indiana they cast the real Bobby Knight and Calbert Cheaney which is fine. Calbert went to Indiana, BUT they also cast Bobby Hurley as the Indiana point guard. He doesn't even have a different name. He plays himself! How does Bobby Hurley roll with this? How does Coach K not kick his ass for this? What a traitor. How do you play yourself in a movie but play for a different college coach and team? Did this contribute in a karmic way to Hurley's accident and the end of his career? I say so.

American Idol Pool

Ship it -

"After last night's results, the first-place tie has been broken and the standings are ...

Chris: 55 pts.
Carla: 50 pts.
Dale and Keri: 40 pts.
Mike, Monica, Michele and Lisa: 35 pts.
Keisha: 20 pts."

Bedtime?

Did you ever have that moment where you were going to crash and it was the right thing to do. Then, a Gomez song comes up and you are inexplicably singing about someone bringing their lovin' back here and you just know it's now at least another 30 minutes before you can crash? Music can be so evil sometimes. Damn you Gomez, why do I love you so?

Does your car need a roof?

I would say no. I have to agree with T.I. on this one. If I were you, I'd replace it with the sky.

Could I hit a single draw at the poker table? Ever?

No.

Have you heard the Silversun Pickups?

I have.

12:35

I've had two Duvels on a very empty stomach. This is bad. I'm also playing internet poker which is even worse. It's re-org day though. Woohoo!

Cheers to you all.