Spramp Shots: Blurry Chicago

Blurry Chicago (Source)

I'm pooped. My trip to the Midwest was a success. I spent a few days in Chicago for a conference where I met up with my man-toy, Mark (he's going to hate me for calling him that). We stayed at The Conrad - and we concluded that the hotel is a "hot tranny mess" (we really liked it!). Chicago is cool, though, at times it felt way too busy and touristy. Unfortch, I was way too preoccupied with the conference to really explore the city as I wanted. I did my mandatory shopping and Mark and I ate a some really yummy restaurants (Red Light was pretty good). I will not eat at another all-you-can-eat Brazilian place, no matter what Mark says. I'm through with skewered meat. After Chicago, we took a pit-stop in Columbus (don't ask). There's a restaurant there called Rigsby's Cuisine Volatile that I really wanted to return to for their fennel sardine dish that I had a few years ago. I still dream of that dish. I can't believe it wasn't on the menu anymore! I know the dish itself sounds pretty weird, but it was fantastic! Bring it back! The restaurant is fantastic, go and check it out. After Columbus, we finally made it to Ann Arbor, my old stomping ground. I do miss A2, though I'm really happy that I don't live there anymore.

Check it:
The Conrad
Red Light
Rigsby's Cuisine Volatile

Double Lives Bollywood Style

Tracey Ullman - State of the Union, Indian Viagra (Source)

My sincerest apologies for my lack of recent posts. Like most of you, I lead a double life of sorts. This life has taken me away from Seattle to Chicago for the past few days. The change of scenery was much needed, but like most trips that take me outside of Seattle, I find myself pitting my new environs against the Emerald City - I ultimately fall homesick. You get my point. Chicago really didn't do much for me. It's too busy, too touristy, too much honking of car horns, too many cars, too many building (though I do love the skyline, which is perhaps the best part of the city) - there's just too many "too many-s". I actually don't get back to Seattle for a few more days; currently I'm waiting for my melatonin to kick in before I call it a night. I'm with my partner-in-crime, Mark, in Ann Arbor (weirdness to be back), and all is oddly the same as when I left a few years ago. Change is slow in the Midwest.

I caught the funny show Tracy Ullman's State of the Union tonight - I don't get cable back at home, so I'm like a moth to a flame right now and have been plopped in front of Mark's TV for most of the evening. I absolutely fell in love with Tracy's skit in which she plays Padma Perkish, the Indian pharmacist/Bollywood star! I've embedded two of Padma's acts in this post. Funny, funny - and brilliant!

Even though I'm in the heart of flatness, I'll be attempting to be productive tomorrow and onward. So hopefully the lags will stop.

Here's to double-lives! xoxo. jan


Padma Perkish (Source)

Check it:
Tracy Ullman's State of the Union [Showtime]

Woot woot: Passengers Unite!

After several horrible, horrible experiences this summer with airline travel, I got back to Seattle not wanting to ever board another plane again ... at least for a couple of months. Luckily (or not), I lost my passport in the midst of hotel-hopping in Chicago. I don't know how many horrible hours of my life was spent inside an airplane this summer, waiting to take-off - over 10 hours total is a rough estimate. Airline passengers need to unite and demand better from carriers! This is why I love, love, love this article from the New York Times. Apparently, peeps did just that. Woot, woot!

Check it: Right There on the Tarmac, the Inmates Revolt, New York Times (August 14, 2007).

Related, check it: Continental Passengers Revolt After Sitting On Tarmac For 5 Hours, The Consumerist (August 16, 2007).

Coffee Break in Chicago

For Spramps in Chicago: Take a load off at Starbucks at the Ultimate Coffee Break! Live music, chair massages, coffee samples. This fun event, sponsored by Time Out Chicago, will be held at:

Starbucks (2 N. Riverside Plaza, Chicago)
Friday, July 20, 2007
11am-2pm

Back to A2

It's been a bit of a whirlwind past two days. I've been meaning to post, but have been too preoccupied with recovering from jet-lag and trying to celebrate the long weekend fully with my guy-pal Mark. We've both mutually decided that we're going to cut our trip to Chicago short by one day and head back to lovely Ann Arbor, Michigan, tomorrow - where I will be for the next week or so taking care of loose ends. And hopefully I'll have more time to generate some blog posts from there. Chicago's been fantastic! I've eaten so well and managed to fit in some museum time, a dinner-cruise around Lake Michigan, and a concert at the House of Blues. But more details on that in the next few posts ... because we've managed to fit in so much in the past three days, we're going to call it a successful break and get back to some normalcy in good ole A2 (that's Ann Arbor to the lay-person). Stay tuned.

Mid-Week SpramPod: I Heart Seabear!

Seabear Making Lovely Music (Source: Seabear MySpace)

• I am ostensibly jet-lagged.
• I drank one too many cocktails last night at the hotel bar.
• Today's my brother's birthday. Happy birfday! You're getting old! Don't forget to moisturize!
• Today's this lovely country's birfday! Did I miss the fireworks in Chicago?
• What I want is another lovely chocolate martini that I had last night. Actually, I want 2 of 'em.
• Speaking of wants, I really want the new Seabear album!
• I want to take a trip to Iceland. Good things get produced in Iceland. I imagine Icelanders having really nice hands (and warm lips). Is that true?
• I'm obsessed with this new Seabear song "Owl Walz." You should be obsessed with it too. It's just too good! The owl hooting is precious! Could a waltz sound anymore fantastic?
  

Owl Walz, Seabear, The Ghost that Carried Us Away (2007) (album forthcoming - it's out in Iceland!) (Courtesy of Carl Sandberg Visits Me in a Dream)

It's hard to wake up when you're not sleeping ... it's hard to make it mean something when it means nothing at all ... hear her call ...

I'm Back

What I Miss (and Need) (2007)
My plane from Dublin landed surprisingly on-time. What a concept? I've been in a weird haze since landing. I'm a bit bummed that I'm back, though will probably (more than likely) be back in D-town soon. I would write more, but I'm in the Atlanta airport waiting for my connection to Chicago and feeling uninspired. I'm getting flashbacks of my horrible experience here last week. I'll be spending the next few days with my partner-in-crime Mark in Chicago, from there we'll head to wherever the wind takes us (within a reasonable 100 mile radius from Chi-town). More to come.

Addendum: SpramPod 4

Plain White T's (Source: Last.fm)
Maybe it's a Mid-West thing - there's a song that plays in Chicago (where I'm at currently), like literally every 15 minutes on the radio. Since yesterday, it's been driving me insane! The song is quite touching, in that acoustic, emo, sorta way. Finally I just googled it, and discovered that the song is called "Hey There Delilah," by Plain White T's. Obviously I just had to have it. Native Chicagoans (surprise, surprise!), the bands other songs are energetic, suffuse with power-punk-esque lyrics that borders on poppy. From what I could tell, this song is a departure from all of that in its romantic candor and its acoustic undertones. I love just love a boy with a guitar! So had I heard this earlier, this would've made my SpramPod playlist that I posted earlier today. But hey, I'm adding it now as an addendum because the song is pure love and a song of endearment. Be sure to check out the rest of their musical archive! Fantastic!

Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's, All That We Needed (2005) (Courtesy of 103.9 The Edge)

Here's the YouTube vid.

Hey There Delilah, Plain White T's

Weekly SpramPod 4: In Transit

Hyatt Regency O'Hare
I’m on the move, transnationally no less. This week’s SpramPod reflects all this movement happening in my life currently. The past day or so has been hellish with all my travel problems, but I have a feeling the next two weeks will totally bring me to a whole new level. I can’t wait! So without further delay, here’s what I’ve been munching on for the past week.

1. Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse, Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, You Are The Destroyer? (2007) (Courtesy of The Rawking Refuses to Stop!)



I want to make up a new genre: Neo-Psychedelic Wave. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard this song. In that most unexpected way that we’re probably all familiar with, it just sorta slapped me in the face and demanded my attention! I love the smart and ultra-fun lyrics and the updated-new wave synth undertones of the song. I just love it!

2. Delovedly, Misha, Teardrop Sweetheart (2007) (Courtesy of The Yellow Stereo)



I love me a sultry-male lead voice! The minimal drum beat, his voice, the lovelorn lyrics, all make me want to purrrr ... There’s a sparseness coupled with a jazziness that makes this song utterly compelling. I’d never heard of Misha prior to this week, but this song makes me want to get into bed with Misha (who, by the way, is made up of Ashley Yao and John Chao)! Just truly fantastic!

3. Come Tomorrow (Soul Seekerz Ditry Dub), Chicane, Come Tomorrow (2007) (Courtesy of Get Weird Turn Pro)

Yummy Chicane! Watch out for the release of the "Come Tomorrow" single on July 16, and Chicane’s new album Somersault a week later! I think Chicane is brilliant and have generally liked everything ever produced! This remix is H-O-T!

4. Click Click Click Click, Bishop Allen, The Broken String (2007) (Courtesy of The Rawkings Refuses to Stop!)

I’ve totally become a Bishop Allen fan(atic)!. I still think “Rain” is the best cruisin’ song to date! But I do love other songs, like this one. And just because I’m totally travelin’ and being touristy, I think this song is totally apropos. It’s fun and catchy, and totally has a good hook. Love it!

5. Goodnight Technologist, The Main Drag, Yours as Fast as Mine (2007) (Courtesy of The Yellow Stereo)

I literally just got to screen this song, thanks to the fantastic blog The Yellow Stereo. If this song is any indication, I do believe we’ve stumbled onto a fantastic group! Watch out for their album, which is set to be released in July called Yours As Fast as Mine. His voice reminds me a lot of the lead singer of Trembling Blue Stars. This song totally builds up like no one’s business! Angst mixed with a resonating melancholy with an underlying electronic framework—what’s not to like?

Thanks to all the fantastic music blogs that I read and that I've linked to!
XoXo's!!!

Finally Some Wind

Sears Tower, Chicago
I've finally made it to Chicago after what seemed like an impossible time trying to get out of Seattle! Everyone and their mother, it seemed, was impeding my departure! I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. NEVER EVER take a YELLOW CAB to the airport! I tried to, and I missed my flight out to Chicago. This misfortune coupled with United's sheer unbending ways in trying to get me on another flight caused me to buy a whole new ticket for this trip to Chicago (which I'm still bitter about!). Yah, so Yellow Cab can suck my arse! I've never lost it as much as I did yesterday - I even yelled, can you imagine? So I'm here in the comfort of the really sorta fantastic Hyatt O'Hare Hotel with Mark, recovering and chilling out. I'm a bit tired from my red-eye through Houston, though I'm trying to be a happy camper about it all. I've learned from all my travels that crap happens, you just have to be smart and move on. Mark and I are catching a late movie, "Knocked Up," tonight and then maybe hanging out at the sleek hotel bar downstairs. Good times, good times. The adventure continues...

Show Me Show Me Show Me

So per usual I’ve waited till the last minute to pack and get things organized for my trip to Dublin that officially starts tomorrow. I get to spend a fantastic weekend with my partner-in-crime Mark in Chicago, who’s been stricken by some completely unfantastic luck of late. We’ll maybe catch a little spramp eye-candy at the Gay Pride festivities on Sunday; get a few descent meals under out belt; and have some quality chill-out time together. I can’t wait! And then, I fly out to Dublin! I’m so excited. I’ve never been, and I’ve only read great things about the city and the spramps that inhabit the city's boundaries! My only regret is that I’ve not done nearly as much pre-trip research on Dublin as I would’ve liked. I suppose that’s why they call it an adventure, eh? Luckily all the places I’ll be staying will have Internet, so I won’t feel too disconnected—and now that I’ve started this Spramp blog, I’ll be sure to post a few or more of the fantastic things that I find in Dublin and the outer-lying areas.

Just Like Heaven Cover (Source: TheCure.com)
I had a splendid day today! Seeing my high-school friends, Trent and Layla (and Layla’s daughter) on what had to be one of the nicer days we’ve had in awhile in Seattle was outstanding! We ate at Blue C Sushi in Freemont, not really our top choice, but nothing else seemed to be open at 2:30pm. Blue C Sushi has the built-in nostalgia factor for anyone who’s been to Japan and has had sushi on a conveyor belt. Though this afternoon, it was way too hot inside to really enjoy the food; and well, having eaten at other fantastic sushi places in Seattle, Blue C Sushi should only be considered under the most desperate of circumstances (I'm sorry Blue C...I hate giving bad reviews). Having said all of that, it was such a treat to catch up with my old friends—we haven’t really changed all that much! Lunch was on Trent, courtesy of his company, which was super fantastic! I love people with real jobs! I hope Layla and I persuaded Trent to move to Seattle, since he really should!

I'll leave you with a lovely acoustic version of "Just Like Heaven," by the Cure. We all like the Cure a lot, and well, perhaps that's why we're all friends. The song defines our generation and our friendship quite well. Enjoy.

Just Like Heaven (Acoustic Version), The Cure (I forgot what album this is on! Ooops!)

(Not the exact version, but this version from the live album Show (1998) is quite good too!)

• My heart will always have a place for the Cure! I wish they made albums like the ones they made in the 1980s and early 1990s. I mean, there's a crap-load of stuff to be depressed about in the world today, Robert Smith! Get depressed and get a new album out!

I’ve more packing to do, and I need to watch the next episode of Top Chef before I call it a night. I admit, I’m mildly addicted to the show, and very close to purchasing a season pass from iTunes. But for now paying a $1.99 seems justifiable…
[for episodes of Top Chef 3]

A plug for my friend Trent!

Read his blog all about the "Cincinnati Reds"
(all the sports talk goes over my head. Sports asides, he's the sweetest (non-sprampy) guy in the world!)

Oh and before I forget: Props to that fantastic woman who gave me the most fantastic discount in the world at Top Pot Doughnuts on 5th Ave today. It was fantastic because she gave me a half-dozen for FREE! (It must have been my sweater that she liked!) I will definitely be frequenting that place more often! If you are in Seattle, check them out - the doughnuts were fantastic, totally decadent, and Trent and I loved every last bite!

Ok, I'm off like a prom-dress...