Control - Movie 13; Fun Fact 21

Last night we saw the movie, Contol, about Ian Curtis the lead singer of Joy Division, a leading post-punk band that was big in the very late 70's. Curtis wound up killing himself, crushed by the demands of celebrity, increasingly severe epileptic seizures, and the problems that ensue due to an ongoing affair that his wife threatens to leave him over. (Other accounts discuss severe mental illness, which seems to make more sense - the movie leaves you wondering what led him to feel so utterly trapped and without hope.) Shot in black and white, the movie does a good job of capturing the bleakness of his homelife from adolescence to the end. Great music throughout. I think that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is one of the best songs of this genre. Joy Division reformulated under the apt name New Order after Curtis' death and went on to produce some interesting early electronica / dance music.

Fun Fact: The name Joy Division is taken from a brothel frequented by German soldiers during WW II.

Specimen Days - Book 13

Michael Cunningham is such a great writer that you just have to excuse his rather bleak take on the world. Like other books that I have read by him ( The Hours, A Home at the End of the World) this book is in the end the story of human endurance in the face of high odds and periods of incredible lonliness and alienation. It is composed of three novellas, all set in New York, all integrating the poetry of Walt Whitman in one way or another. The first is a story of Irish immigrants set at the dawn of the industrial revolution, the second is a kind of post 9/11 police procedural mystery that seems to signal the beginning of the demise of capitalism, and the third is a post-apocalyptic story cast in the mid 21 century after capitalism has led to the destruction of pretty much everything. Each story features recurring characters types. Sounds hokey, but he manages to pull it off very well. I had read the first story months ago and then put it down as I was not in the mood for grim destruction. But when I picked it back up recently I found I could not put it down. Cunningham is really an extraordinary writer. Great book!

Dylan and Costello - Performance 10; Chicago Theatre - Place 26; Fun Fact 20

We went to see Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello on Susan's birthday on Sunday. What a great show! Dylan's band was really good and they played a lot of long jams on both old and new songs. Dylan's voice was extremely raspy, even for him. And he made up some new melodies for his old songs. But the real star of the show was Elvis Costello. From start to finish he was pure energy and entertainment, with great song selection and enthusiasm. He sang many old favs as well as some new songs including several anti-war songs, and even a humorous old chestnut from the 20's about elections and politicians. Even his banter from the stage was great. Although it was relatively brief, it was one of the best performances we have seen. Ever. We both came away wishing that he would have been alotted more time. The Chicago Theatre was a great venue in which to see them both. Its a cool old theatre with high ceilings, ornate decorations, and a wide main floor. So much more intimate than an arena venue which they undoubtedly could have filled. We were about 15 or so rows back on the side and had a great view of the whole show. Fun (?) Fact: Dylan did not talk to the audience once during the entire show -- until the encore when he introduced his band.

International Film Fest: Movies 10, 11, and 12

Because we're still playing catch-up from our brief hiatus due to moving, we need to mention that the annual Chicago International Film Fest was held a few weeks ago and we attended several movies, including Jellyfish (an Israeli movie about the joy and despair and magic in the lives of several women), and a grouping of some very interesting Animated Shorts. But our hands down favorite was "Jump" a documentary about several teams of teens from across the country competing in the national jumprope competition. Wierd interaction of athletic competition with zealous Christianity for many of the teams. Talk about extreme behavior! This film doesn't have a distribution deal yet, but if it comes to a theatre near you, we highly recommend it.

The Sparrow - Peformance 9; Fun Fact 18

Last Saturday we took in a performance of the play The Sparrow at the Apollo Theatre, located about 1 1/2 miles from our apartment. It was a beautiful night, so we decided to walk down to meet our friends Karen and Josie for dinner before the show. We decided on Indian Food at the Raj Darbar, mentioned previously on this blog. We shared chicken tikka masala, chicken shahi kurma, saag paneer, and a chick pea dish whose name escapes me at the moment. They were all pretty good, but not as good as they had been when we visited last month. The play, however, was excellent. It is the story of the girl with magical powers and their effect for good and ill on her small town. Though it got a little Carrie-esque towards the end, highlights of the play included the singing and dancing and the enormously creative staging that seemed to really define the play itself. Fun fact: This acting troupe consists of a bunch of college friends who decided to come to Chicago to contribute a new troupe to Chicago's lively independent theatre scene.

Gale Street Inn - Restaurant 26; Fun Fact 19

Let the birthday celebrations begin -- with ribs! Sunday is Susan's 46th birthday and we got the party started with some excellent ribs at the Gale Street Inn on the northwest side of Chicago. Fall of the bone meat topped with excellent sauce, cooked just right. Yum! The place was packed, even though it was only Thursday night. We'll definitely be visiting Gale Street again. Fun Fact: The Gale Street Inn is not an inn, nor is it on Gale Street. Go figure!

Across the Universe - Movie 9; Fun Fact 17

I went and saw "Across the Universe" at the afternoon show today at the Landmark Theatre on Diversey, Clark, and Halsted. Yes, I know that it had been playing to mixed reviews, but I liked it. (Plus it was fun to see a movie for the bargain matinee price of $7.00.) In order to enjoy it you have to be ok with musicals and all of the hokiness that can go along with them on film, really like Beatles songs, and be interested in the ambience of the 60s. If that appeals, this is the movie for you. If not, take a pass. I think this might account for the wildly uneven reviews. Fun fact: Bono has a great cameo as a Californian who is way ahead of the New York LSD learning curve.

Eviction and New Apartment - Experience 23

As the little girl said in Poltergeist . . . they're back. Now that we're all settled into our new place we're ready to resume blogging and will be catching you up on our recent escapades over the next several days. Most of you probably know by now that we were evicted from our old apartment due to excessive landlord greed trumping any and all concern for the well-being of tenants. That's the bad news. The good news is we survived the move and our new apartment is fantastic. Not only is it bigger and equipped with a fantastic old clawfoot tub, it is also much more homelike with gorgeous old wood in each room. But don't take our word for it. Check out these pictures and you be the judge.

Red Light - Restaurant 25; Tiger - Beer 21

Last weekend our Athens friends Margie and David Barba were in Chicago visiting their daugher Emma who recently moved to town. We met them for dinner on Sunday night at a great west loop Asian fusion restaurant called Red Light. We started out with an excellent crab cake appetizer as well as some yummy sweet potato fries. Susan had scallops on polenta and Kate had "Shrimp 99", both of which were very good. But as so often happens, we really liked the appetizers the best. Susan also had a Tiger beer, which was pretty tasty for a lager. We were all so stuffed from dinner that there was no room for dessert! However, the very best part of dinner was catching up with the Barba's and getting all the latest dish from Athens. Hope they come to visit the city again soon!

Blame it on Fidel - Movie 8; Fun Fact 16

We thought we'd warm up for the upcoming International Film Fest with this interesting movie directed by Anna Costa-Gavras. This film is great story told through the eyes of a 9 year old trying to figure out the world as constructed for her through the eyes of her lefty parents who are busy with their friends battling facism in Spain and Argentina in the 70s on the one hand and through the eyes of the nuns who are her elementary school teachers on the other. What in the world is a kid to make of all this? This film offers quite a compelling portrayal of family life and this young girl's maturation in a complicated world and home. Although it had some pacing problems, particularly in the first hour, we both really liked it and thought that it was worth staying with throughout.

Fun Fact: Several reviewers have speculated that the movie is loosely based on Anna Costa-Gavras' life with her very famous and very politically left father, Constantino Costa-Gavras, who is perhaps most well known for his gripping movie portraying the plight of the disappeared in 70's Argentina, entitled "Missing" starring Carrie Fisher.

iHole - Performance 8; Las Mananitas - Restaurant 24; Fun Fact 15

Last week we joined a bunch of the girls at a Gayco production of iHole at a theatre in the (LGBT) Center on Halsted. We started out with a fantastic margarita and pretty good fajitas at Las Mananitas. I've heard margaritas called truth serum and having tasted this powerful version I can certainly understand why! After dinner we staggered over to the Center for a great comedy show by a local gay themed troupe whose skits (the titles of which were presented on a giant iPod screen) addressed everything from Jane Addams' sexuality to the trails and tribulations of dealing with aging parents. Great company, tasty drink, fun performance. All in all, a pretty good night!

Fun Fact: according to the Urban Dictionary, an iHole is someone who ignores you pretending not to hear you because they have ear buds in, or somewho who thinks they're a bad ass on line. Hmm. Wonder which one they were thinking of when they named the show?

Bob Dylan - Modern Times; Elvis Costello - My Flame Turns Blue - CDs 4&5

At the end of the month we're going to the Dylan / Costello concert at the beautiful Chicago Theatre to celebrate Susan's birthday. In preparation we've been listening to a bunch of their discs, including these two, both of which we like very much. The Dylan disc is kind of swing / country with lots of steel guitar, snare drums and reflections on topics relevant to the later part of life taking the forefront. "Spirit on the Water" is a favorite.

Elvis' disc is a live performance with the Metropole Orkest which is a hybrid of jazz, big band, and classical orchestra. It includes a variety of songs, including some reworked classics from his new wave days wuch as "Watching the Detectives" as well as some of his new work such as his collaboration with Burt Bachrach, "God Give Me Strength" (which was originally written for Grace of My Heart, a great movie about the girl group era, loosely based on the life of Carole King.) This is an interesting, but mellow disc, full of very satisfying surprises if you're in the right mood.

Both Dylan and Costello seem to be interested in revisiting older genres and they do it well. Perhaps this common interest is what led them to tour together this year. In any case, it should be a great show!

Playoff game at Wrigley - Experience 22

The Cubs lost their third game to the D-backs on Saturday, marking the end of their fantastic run from last to first this year. Being in the crowd at Wrigley on Saturday really helped me to understand why it's so difficult for the Cubs to win. The level of expectation and desperation was palpable. 99 years of losing tradition is unbelievably weighty. The Cubs were never really in it. The starting pitcher Rich Hill gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game and things went downhill from there. The Cubs had many chances, but everytime they got close they hit into a double play (four times!) Sadly, many in the crowd booed the team at the close of the game. But there were other people holding up signs thanking the Cubs for a great season. Two inebriated young men were standing by the exits urging people to root for the Bulls. So there was some gratitude and humor in the crowd. But mostly huge disappointment. It would have been great if the crowd could have spontaneously have broken into a chorus of "Go Cubs Go" but it just wasn't to be. (One of the papers had a cruel headline: "No, Cubs, No." This year, like so many other years, Cubs fans can only say "Wait till next year."

Birds in Fall - Book #12

Brad Kessler's Birds in Fall (which I keep wanting to call Birds in Flight) was done a poor service by its publisher. The idea of including rows of bird-related postage stamps on the cover makes sense, but the result ends up looking like one of those Reader's Digest condensed books (you know how they have the original book covers across the front?) and subconsciously prevented me from starting this book for some time. However, the book was given to me some time ago by my Aunt Dorothy who will be visiting me shortly, so I felt some pressure to give it a try. My aunt works at an independent bookstore in San Francisco and tends to send me books that I love or hate. This one I loved. It's about a plane crash and the people who gather to learn their loved ones' fates. I realize this doesn't sound very chipper (and it isn't), but it isn't as grim as it sounds either. The voice and mood are both unusual and, although it struggles sometimes to manage the task set out for itself, is well worth the read.

Cubs lose first game! Zambrano pulled early

The Cubs lost their first playoff game last night, 3-1 against the D-backs. The big controversy is whether the manager, Lou Piniella should have pulled the starting pitcher, their ace Carlos Zambrano out at the end of the 6th inning. He was pitching well, the game was at a 1-1 tie and he had thrown about 85 pitches which is not excessive. Still, Piniella took him out in favor of Carlos Marmol, who has been outstanding in relief this year. Sadly, he promptly gave up a home run, and then another run after that and the game got away from the Cubs. It does seem odd to have pulled Big Z when he was pitching so well, but Piniella said that he was saving his arm so he could start again in the 4th game. Hmm. Perhaps all this foresight lost us the game. Or then again, perhaps the game would have been lost anyway, as the Cubs managed only 4 hits against D-backs pitching with the big 3 (Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez) looking befuddled at the plate throughout the game. We'll see what tonight brings. A win tonight would lead to a fourth game, potentially making Piniella look like a genius!

Rose Angelis - Restaurant 23

Right before the Cubs clinched the division last Friday, we were out eating dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant with our friend Ellen. It was a beautiful night, so we walked the mile and half or so that it is from our apartment. Located in Lincoln Park, Rose Angelis looks deceptively small from the outside. But once you enter, it feels like the eating space is about a block long! We arrived at about 6 on a Friday and were amongst the first there, but by 7 the place was packed! (They don't take reservations.) The atmosphere was very comfortable, the food was fresh and excellent tasting and the portions were enormous.

We started out by sharing a really creative and tasty special salad of the day which had all kinds of unusual vegtables in it, along with a beautiful presentation. Even though three of us shared it, we still couldn't finish it all. Susan had spinach and mushroom ravioli half moons which were drenched in a really great tasting brown butter. Kate had a spinach fettucine with chicken and vegtables which was fine, but the real star of the show was the half moons. We all shared something that was billed as tiramisu for dessert (and again were unable to finish it - it was huge). Why is it that anything that has a foamy top and a suggestion of rum is automatically called tiramisu? This was good, but it was more like cheesecake than tiramisu. Nevertheless, the dining experience at Rose Angelis was excellent. We'd go back for the moons alone!