kevin barnett

He is a god among men.

Ok, that is a tad bit dramatic but I think Santiago Calatrava is an amazing architect - the Frank Lloyd Wright of our era. Not that I know a lot about architecture. But I have experienced his work first hand and it is awe inspiring to say the least. Consider him added to my list of favorite arteests.

Calatrava has designed The Fordham Tower, which built as proposed would be the tallest building in North America. And rather than take the Trump approach which is to make the outside un-interesting and the inside…interesting - Calatrava has brought art back to architecture. Chicago doesn’t need another square building - it needs to continue the rich tradition of architecture and Calatrava will do just that.

I for one like the design - others, like my Dad (another Calatrava fan) do not. I think it would be worth it for it to be built, just to piss off Trump.

I was just listening to Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side

Am I envious of today’s Lollapalooza attendee’s? Absolutely not. Maybe it’s because of the lack-luster lineup for today or because of the current weather conditions:

I was just listening to Grandaddy - The Crystal Lake

Yesterday, my company treated the entire staff to a Cubs game - on the roof of Beyond The Ivy at 1010 Waveland Ave. This was my first roof-top Cubs experience - something I’ve always been curious about since my first Cubs game.

It was nice being able to walk around, sit at a table with chairs or on the bleachers. And endulging in endless beer, dogs, brats, brisket, ribs, burgers…

Yesterday was also known as the most hot and dry day of the summer to date. Thankfully there was a strong breeze - because when it went away, I was roasting.

Fig 1. Wrigley Field from a rooftop on Waveland St.

The only thing that sucks about being on a rooftop is missing some of the action in the outfield. But the beer and food made up for it. That and shooting with our department’s new Nikon D70s dSLR. I must have one.

Cubs lost and lost bad. They were close in the 5th inning and then just lost it, 10-6. Carlos Lee knocking out 2 HR’s didn’t help much.

Tomorrow, Dev and I are going to see the Nats play the Cubs… I know she’ll wanna root for her new/old home team.

I was just listening to Chicks On Speed - Wordy Rappinghod (Playgroup Mix)

Fig 1. Sinking my teeth into the juicy turkey appendage

Fig 2. Getting a little crazycarnivorous

Fig 3. The feeling of contentment after licking a bone clean is hard to match

Devin and I had a great time at my first Taste. Yes, there are a lot of people there. Yes, it’s hard to walk around in the crowds. Yes, it was frickin’ hot. Yes, some of the food sucks. And yes, there are too many generic country bands on stage.

But we had a blast anyway. We had great food (see BBQ turkey legs, african goat meat/rice dish, classic buttered corn-on-the-cob). When it got too hot, we rode the water ride and got soaked. When the crowds got intense, we broke off to the side and did some people watching (Where else can you see a woman with copius amounts of back hair?).

Fig 4. The SBC Extreme High Divers, a mermaid and Devin

And we hung out with the SBC extreme diving team and a mermaid. A fantastic time with a hot date to boot!

I was just listening to Fischerspooner - Never Win

This past weekend, Devin and I hosted her friends from Salisbury, Md. - Bill and Charlene Creese. They’re a nice couple, both finishing their undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively. “Char” was Dev’s roommate when she attended Salisbury so they have been friends for a while. Since Dev was in their wedding last fall, I suppose they thought this was the year to visit Chicago.

Friday, after work a few hours of sleep, Devin and I came home to them waiting for us to make enchiladas. Bill and Char, suprisingly, fell into that category of east-coasters who have never really experienced home-cooked mexican food. In fact, it was Char’s first experience with guacamole. Ever. I think she’s a better human being now for the experience and the baby probably appreciated it, too.

Oh, did I mention Char was 4 months pregnant? Dev advised for me to make a milder ranchero sauce which I did and it turned out great and did not enduce labor. But now I know I can do better. I think I may stick with the ranchero sauce moving forward, saving the chile sauce for special occasions.

The food was devoured Friday night and then again on Saturday for lunch, just before we left to go take them around the city. We drove downtown but then decided to head back to Wrigleyville to find parking since we would be down there later that evening. We got Bill and Char through the handicap accessible Addison L stop.

Oh, did I mention Bill had broken his leg playing rugby and was on crutches? That slowed us down a bit but I was amazed at how well Bill negotiated stairs and probably walked a mile or so. I guess that’s the Marines for you…

We did the Michigan Avenue lighting ceremony. It consists of too many people, cold temperatures, strong wind and Mickey Mouse on a float “magically” lighting the trees on Michigan Avenue. I wonder how he does it?

After we recovered from the sheer spectacle of it all, we headed back to Wrigleyville for some Giordano’s, the best stuffed pizza in town IMHO. And then after stuffing ourselves, we took in a funny performance at Improv Olympic. Definitely a different feel than Second City especially since the performance is long form and not a collection of sketches. The show was very funny and I recognized one of the cast members from Second City. Improv in Chicago is very incestual.

Sunday, Dev had to work but I had the pleasure of taxi’ing Bill and Char to Soldier Field for Bears v. Colts. Driving underneath McCormick Place was both cool and scary. It was a little wacky but I got it done.

Roger’s Park, Wrigleyville, Michigan Avenue, Theater, Stuffed Pizza, The L and Da Bears all in a weekend. Definitely a classic Chicago experience, Popeye.

I was just listening to Finely Quaye - Dice

I guess it was more like 1/3rd of that freaky scripture last night. I have never witnessed a lunar eclipse quite like the one last night and I was excited that even in the big city it was so visable. I was reminded of how people must have interpreted something like this before they understood it. I was also reminded of celestial event parties out at El Rancho Stiba…good times.

I was just listening to The Crystal Method - Bound Too Long