Recently in Evanston / Chicago Category

Chicago Public Radio has recently risked some budget and old-school animosity toward a "new media" broadcast aimed at saavy online souls such as yourselves.

Vocalo.org accepts ALL home-grown audio journalism, with the promise of airing your stuff on air. With their upcoming RADIO broadcast station rights, which will cover a majority of the Chicago-Land area, your creative blurbs might easily reach an entire robust urban audience.

Everyone is invited. But if you are a Media or Journalism student your radar definitely needs to go up here. Here's a real-life testing ground for your personal journalistic projects. At the very least, your audio projects are published online for everyone to read.

With the simple (and true) assumption that online souls such as yourselves have insight, poetry and reflection worth repeating, Vocalo has created a complete interface for you. Record yourself, Broadcast yourself, Promote Yourself. Its simply that easy.

If you are an urban-minded creative soul, I strongly encourage this venue to address an Urban, multi-cultural diverse audience.

I looked out my 3rd storey window and THERE HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT BACK IN AT ME!!

First off, I am not making this up nor was I drinking (overly) heavily at the time of the "incident". I got home around 7pm last night and settled into my relax mode, and then I happened to look out the window. And that's when I sam HIM! Although I live on the third floor (of a very exclusive and luxurious metropolitan condominium complex), HE was looking straight in my window from the same height, at precisely the same eye-level.

Although I've never encountered such a grotesque tree goblin before, I didn't panic. I grabbed my camera and quickly snapped off a round of pics. With every flash from the camera I could see him becoming increasingly angrier until finally he shrieked out a warning I shall never forget.

The initial pictures aren't too clear, so Ive added some of the more revealing pictures below.

A mere 94 degrees in Evanston, Illinois today, no doubt heralding an excellent summer!

In addition to this being my first visit this year to Evanston's South Boulevard Beach during its official "open" season, and receiving my second painful sunburn of the year, I have also fallen deeply in love with this year's LIFEGUARD BABE! (pictured at right from a distance.)

Shy as I am, I dared not venture up to her to say hello. Instead, I continuously swam out of bounds or intentionally created some sort of dangerous havoc so that she might notice me. And my ploy worked brilliantly! Soon she was caressing me with her sweet voice (via the bullhorn) saying such things as "I TOLD YOU NO SWIMMING OVER THERE!! ONE MORE TIME AND YOUR OFF THE BEACH!!".

To complete the success of my morning's lifeguard-babe seduction, I ultimately feigned drowning, albeit in two feet of water. Nevertheless (as I understand City oridnance) lifeguard-babe was REQUIRED (heh heh) to come to my rescue. As I surpassed the likes of any Hollywood actor in maintaining a "drowned person's limpness", she diligently dragged me ashore.

While holding my breath, waiting for some tongue-to-tongue CPR from lifeguard-babe, she totally surprised me with what came next...

A hard kick to the buttocks.

I think she likes me. This is going to be a totally HOT summer!! (more lifeguard-babe pics below)

When words fail, pictures presumably prevail.

here in Chicago. First sunburn of 2006.

Here's the colorful view I was greeted with this morning. I thought it was worth sharing.

I've been in this "vintage" brownstone cubby-hole for almost 8 years now, living contentedly and quietly amongst a mutually indetectable collection of like-minded souls.

But recently all HELL has broken loose.

First, my nearby "neighbors" recently moved in along with their obviously retarded dog who barks, yelps, and whines in an impressive wealth of varietal tones NON-STOP once its oblivious owners vacate the premises. I have been forced to buy a "dog training whistle" which I screech (with approximately 75% efficiency) out my icy window whenever my patience is exhausted. I swear, I've never encountered a more brain-damaged animal.

AND SECOND...

My lovely (and hard-working) downstairs neighbor finally got herself a steady boyfriend. I was quite happy for her until hippy-guy MOVED IN and quickly demonstrated to us all (ie every adjacent and remotely proximate unit) that he fashions himself to be a BONGO DRUMMER. (I'm not making this up!) And I'm not talking about those tiny little bongos. This slacker irrythmically drums on one or more of those big CONGO DRUMS.

So "boyfriend hippy dude" plays the BIG BONGOS at his leisure throughout the day. (Of course, bongo meisters such as himself do not need a real 9 to 5 job...). And when he's not self-consciously botching his wonka bongo sequences, he's blaring his stereo. He's a musician, you know.

Just another windy day in Chicago. Air temp here was about 25 degrees (F), windchill was at about 8 degrees (F). My earlobes froze solid while taking this pic.

Here in Chicago the Autumn season is generally quite short-lived due to our fluctuating weather. We are now at that point where the the color and foliage of Fall are fading fast. I thought I better take a few photos before the winds of Winter erase all evidence of the season.

I guess I stayed up a little too late last night. When I looked out the window it was already getting light outside. So I decided to take a walk and watch the sun come up. Here are some of the photos I took.