Sorry. Basically my mom has become extremely Orthodox so I’m forced to deal with that community sometimes, and I’m not exactly what they expect from her son. At all. And they can be dicks about it.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I’m full of hate, apparently.

Yeah, I’m not talking about Orthodox, more like, you know, Elliott Gould.

Jordan, your hateful rant is so far making people not notice that I just defended horror movies.

(I like horror movies, though. Rosemary’s Baby is one of my favorite movies ever. I just don’t have the will to sit through a lot of bad ones.)

you know who’s awesome is that robbie gould fella

Totally understood, Jordan. But the cutting themselves off thing is interesting. In the first place, the Hasidim came to America not to take part in the American dream or to assimilate, but to continue living exactly as they had in Europe except for being safe from pogrom/Holocaust. Second, their rebbes refused to come here until AFTER WWII, so that generation had very different priorities from the next gen, which is the group currently “in power” in most places. Third, in a sense the Hasidim who immigrated to America could have taken part in a culture of privilege, being a white European group, but they specifically chose not to benefit from that privilege...a restraint which could, if investigated constructively, make them less estranged from the minority groups they usually live near.

Also, I don’t know what their problem is w/r/t you — I know someone whose daughter is an out lesbian (not practicing Orthodox, obv) but her father is very scholarly, respected, visible among his peers.

Also there are definitely some very lousy things about modern Hasidic life, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH is their attitude/code of conduct for women.

Haha.

I think at this point the basic sci-fi setting is so entrenched that it’s not so different a starting point than here & now. Meaning, saying “okay, it’s the future and there are space ships and humans living on different worlds” isn’t a big deal, it’s “okay, it’s the future and there are space ships AND here’s the hook”. Although if those tropes really bother you than that’s something else (I forget, have you read any Delany?).

Yeah, I don’t know why it bothers me. Most of what I like, narrative-wise, still tends to be contemporary American realism. Who’s Delany?

Samuel Delany

’Cause a lot of his work has trad sci-fi/fantasy tropes + excellent writing, race and gender issues, dude sex, etc.

(a lot of his writing also lacks those tropes, but that’s what he came out of)

later chicago.

I hate decisions. Should I take the cheaper place that I don’t like as much, or the more expensive place that I looove?

Take whichever is more convenient?

how much more expensive is it?

what neighborhoods?

ps- hi chicago.

DETAILS!!!

Have you gone through the credit process?

the pricier one sounds really great.

i’m dying for details. i am afraid to look for a new place and kenan will be my guinea pig.

ok, here’s the story on the place that I like. $775 a month, which is more than I wanted to pay but certainly doable. One bedroom. Big kitchen. Nice living room with a southern exposure and a view of a grand old oak tree. Back porch (!). Pretty hardwood floors. Laundry downstairs. Old building, but well maintained. There’s a marble facade out front that says “The Rose.” Located here, which is pretty unbeatable. Two blocks from the Berwyn el stop, two blocks from Jewel, three blocks from the lake, seven blocks from Juulia.

I think I should go for it.

I don’t know where Berwyn or Jewel are, but the rest sounds PERFECT. Shit. I want.

I can’t remember if it’s thisplace or the other one that has the old iron bathtub with the legs and everything. I love that shit.

qhR v

ahem...

what about the other one?

I don’t know where Berwyn or Jewel are

Well, ifyou look at the map, Berwyn in one block south, and the train stop is just on the east side of Broadway. The grocery is between the el stop and Brodaway.

That’s a pretty great location. 1 block from 2 different L stops, CLOSE to the Jewel, beautiful street.

The other one is at Devon and Wayne, much smaller, has a view of an alley and a brick wayy, and you have to walk through the closet to get to the bathroom. Also significantly dirtier.

brick wall

happiness trumps potential savings any day of the week, right? i took a place for $275 more per month than another i was thinking about because it was much nicer and in a slightly better area. it was well worth it.

if you go with the other place, you will inevitably regret it completely.

what price?

If it was like $300 a month less or something that might make a difference.

That’s a pretty great location.

I know. It would be nice for a change to have a place I want to stay at for more than one lease. It ain’t dirt cheap or anything, but I think I can grow into it. Buy furniture and bookshelves, the whole bit.

Devon Ave. is too far from Chicago.

what price?

$600, which, considering, feels like a rip-off.

Devon Ave. is too far from Chicago.

Heh. But think of the Indian food!

$175 difference? see that’s only $2100 per year

yeah

that’s a great hood. can you negotiate?

I’m seriously on the side of the nicer one.

I can see what they can do about the deposit. Because I have rotten credit, so the standard is to charge twice rent for deposit. If I can talk them down from that, that would be premium.

Only possible downside: it’s *right* next to the train tracks. Like, I would have a view of them out the front and back door both, at eye level. But I think you’d get used to that pretty quick, right?

Jake: How often does the train go by?

Elwood: So often that you won’t even notice it.

I know people who live next to the El and it’s OK. But I would be concerned too. But it sounds great. The apartment, not the sound of the train.

Oh god, I never want to move again until I own my own place or am dead.

But I would love to be in Jenny and Jeff’s place. God how I would love that.

They’re in your hood, bro. Faggots everywhere you turn.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/220591788.html

I am considering the trade off of size vs. location and amenities.

xpost— that’s not MY hood. The density of fags is actually a con for me. I like where I am now in that regard...fag-friendly, but not choked with them.

Their place is great because of the Jewel next door. That is first and foremost. After that the other numerous pluses are great but they pale in comparison.

I’m so proud of Kenny. He’s sat on top of the computer monitor for a solid hour without crapping on the screen.

$695 for an apartment in Lincoln Park? That’s going to be mad small.

Kenan: The Lincoln Park apartment is not for you.

jesse: ok

why

Kenan: going to be about 400 sq ft, for one thing

jesse: yeh

i know

Kenan: and you’ll hate the hood

jesse: no

Kenan: real yuppie

jesse: yeh

Kenan: lotsa breeders and babies all over the place

overpriced restaurants

nothing that’s *not* overpriced

celebrities live in that neighborhood

i can’t stand that part of town, except that it’s very pretty

but it is, as Holden Caulfield would say, very phony

jesse: you killed the dream

;__;

Kenan: you can pay that much and live in a real chicago neighborhood and have a bigger place and be much happier, all at the same time

Back me up here, people.

i wasn’t really considering that place. but this place http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/220020496.html seems nice.

anyway, first i need a job.

Not bad, but why are you determined to move to a smaller, more expensive apartment?

hey n00bz, real ILX is back

no shit! thanks.

hi chicago.

Ignore that. I messed something up.

Weird. There’s nothing wrong with my HTML, but this post just won’t post.

oh, sorry: sandbox only allows two images per post.

Happy payday, once-a-monthers!

Ah, but payday was yesterday. Today is paythemanday.

What happens when a debit card expires? Should my bank have sent me another one already?

I don’t get paid until Friday. Which means I packed a lunch again. But my pay schedule works out great this month: I get paid on the third, then the 17th, and then again on December 1, which means that December rent can come out of *that* check, and November is all freed up to buy housewares.

I have decided to buy that jute rug after all. The big green rug will match my bedroom much better than my living room. I want black, simple, almost severe.

The bank should automatically send you one—you should call them if they haven’t, Dan.

Happy Samhain/All Saints Day/All Hallows’ Day, everybody.

Wait, Samhain was yesterday. Fucking pagans.

Fucking Catholics.

Fucking Glen Danzig.

ihttp://static.flickr.com/11/16495942_bdbf15ec49_m.jpg

HERRO!

guttentag!

oh, hey jenny, guess what i have in a crockpot waiting for me when i get home from work today?

Ohioans, tell me about Barberton.

xpost—a human head?

no, i’ll give you a hint. it has chicken, chicken broth, 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 onion, some spices, and is on low heat until i get home.

I looked at a cheap, warm, spacious apartment last night but I’m not taking it because it was already furnished and decorated with the other tenants’ stuff and they would never make space for me (except in my own room). Grrr.

cheap, warm, and spacious. only pick two.

and hey jenny, now that i’ve had some coffee and have thought about it, should i have cooked the chicken before putting it in the soup?

I dreamed I went to see Xiu Xiu. I think it was at the Metro. The whole band came out, and then Jamie Stewart came out and howled, “THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ME!” And then he took a shit on the stage. Then he left the stage, and the band followed him, and the show was over. As the crowd made its way out, there were many murmurs of how excellent the show was.

The end.

NSNSNSNNSNSNSNS — when do you play on Friday?? I seem to recall the number 7, as in PM, but is that doors only? When’s yr set?

lol @ xiu xiu as gg allin

Ohioans, tell me about Barberton.

Barberton is a shitpit. It’s not as bad as Youngstown but is still a craptastic place to live. My HS history teacher was named Chuck Buck and taked constantly about the Barberton Beautification Committee.

Ok, there are worse places on Earth, but it’s not a place I want to settle down.

Or visit.

taked = talked

people’s names be confusing me. hi armando.

http://www.gotoquiz.com/results/what_american_accent_do_you_have

i was primarily west, with midland and boston not too far behind. if midland means midwest, i’ve lived in all three areas.

Otto — no, the chicken will cook over the time it’s in the crock pot. That’s the beauty. When it’s done you should be able to shred it easily too, to avoid chunks.

Midland usually means midwest.

Hi Juuuuuuuuuuuuulia.

Nope, Kevin. You did the right thing putting the chicken in raw.

Just like Amanda said.

I figured Barberton would be a shitpit, but that’s probably my bias against small towns in that general are of the country. It was the home of a big time solidarity union movement in the 1930s, didja know?

Yeah, doesn’t surprise me. Lotsa factories around there at that time. Not anymore though. My friend’s sister lives right “downtown” and it’s really cute for about 2.5 minutes, then the charm wears off and you realize that there’s nothing there but a diner, a pharmacy and a photography studio with faded pictures of slutty high school girls from the early ’90s in the window. Unless you’re very happy with your family and have a rich homelife, that’s not a place to live.

Similarly, AA started in Akron! Hey-o!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak “Standard English straight out of the dictionary” but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like “Are you from Wisconsin?” or “Are you from Chicago?” Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.”

The Midland The Northeast Philadelphia The South The West Boston North Central

Hmmm... According to that test, I have a good voice for TV or radio, it says. I’m midland first, then Philadelphia. Makes sense. I tried to modulate all of the strange southern Delaware pronunciations out of my speech (like “far” for fire and “boosh” for bush and long-O dog, although I still cling to some Delaware phrasings, like quarter of seven instead of quarter to seven and “get a bath” instead of “take a shower”) but I still sometimes stress the “awwww” sounds in coffee, dog, pause, words like that.

John, you got that because you insist on mispronouncing “horrible.”

For the last time, the word has an O in it. Why would the vowel sound of “whore” be pronounced differently just because it starts with a “wh-” instead of an “h-”?

You guys.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Boston

You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don’t. Of course, that doesn’t mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine.

The West The Midland North Central The Northeast Philadelphia The Inland North The South What American accent do you have?

did that work, i’m gonna guess no right away.

which is odd because my accent, at this point, is vestigal at best.

For the last time, the word has an O in it. Why would the vowel sound of “whore” be pronounced differently just because it starts with a “wh-” instead of an “h-”?

Lots of words with the same vowel/consonant pairings are pronounced different. It’s the rich pageant of the English language, my man. I mean, it’s cool. I’m still your friend even though you’re totally wrong about this.

Give me examples.

Btw, I like that quiz because I felt super-confident about all the answers.

I’m with John on “horrible”.

You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don’t.

I think it’s more that they make you think about how you would say things, rather than just say them, though.

xpost—flood/food

MIDWEST SOLIDARITEE

Wait, never mind. There are lots of examples. So wait: you think that “horrible” is a word that just has an unusual pronunciation, like “women”?

How do you pronounce “horrid”?